A Night in Maleficent's Castle
by BlueTiger321
Summary: Sequel to A Night in Black Manor. The group of friends learn about an impending evil about to be unleashed upon the world and band together with the ghosts they freed. But the place where they must go is fraught with horror and darkness.
1. Chapter 1: The Friendly Ghosts

Chapter 1: The Friendly Ghosts

BlueTiger321: Hi, everyone! It's me again, back with another cartoon crossover story. For those of you who don't know, this is going to be a sequel to one of my previous stories, _A Night in Black Manor_. I know that it's a little early for Halloween but I've decided to start writing it now just so I can get it out of the way. And I advise those of you who haven't read my earlier story to please do so before reading this one just so that it will make more sense to you. Now, for the legal stuff: the story is of my own creation but the lovable cast of characters used in it are property of their respectful owners. And I must warn you that this story is T-rated for frightening sequences, bad language, crude humour and violence. So sit back and enjoy!

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><p>It was currently high noon in the fabled Toon City and Halloween had once again returned for another year. All across the city, the residents—who were characters from cartoon shows, anime or video games—were all getting ready to celebrate the glorious holiday in their own fashion. Much like in the human world, the toons liked Halloween for its antics and for getting the opportunity to dress up however they want. To the toons, Halloween was more important than life itself.<p>

Walking through the forests on the outskirts of the city was a group of friends. Even though they came from different backgrounds, it did not stop them from forming a bond as solid as a rock. The group was comprised of the famous Sky Knight squadron known as the Storm Hawks, the Avatar and his companions, the halfa ghost boy, Danny Fenton, and the Te Xuan Ze, Juniper Lee.

Last year they had gone into one of Toon City's most infamous places, Black Manor, as part of a dare set up by a gang led by Dash Baxter. Many superstitions had led the mansion to be haunted by malicious spirits, and Aerrow was going to take the dare to prove that all the tales were false. As it turned out, Black Manor was indeed haunted and the group had to endure a horrifying quest to break the curse over the mansion. When they did, they found out that the ghosts who had been living there were forced against their will by the evil sorceress, Maleficent, who intended to do away with their master, the almighty wizard, Yen Sid.

Upon breaking the curse and setting the ghosts free, the group instantly became friends with them and showed their appreciation by forcing Dash and his crew into Black Manor and showing them exactly what kind of horrors they would face.

Everyone in the group was now going back to Black Manor to celebrate the anniversary with their ghostly friends. Even though it was by accident that their paths had crossed, the group considered themselves lucky for having met the ghosts and setting them free. It was then during that time that they would get the chance to reminisce about everything that took place on that fateful night.

Aerrow breathed in through his nostrils while he took in the fresh air of the forest, not minding the cawing of crows, the chirping of crickets or even Radarr jumping onto his back. "Won't it be nice when we see our friends again?"

"It sure would," said Piper. "I can't believe it's actually been a year since we've been inside Black Manor."

"I know," said Aang. "Do you think the ghosts have changed the house at all while we were gone?"

"Who knows?" said Danny. "After all, Yen Sid did give it to them for all their hard work, so it wouldn't be surprising if they changed it the way they want it to."

Finn suddenly had something on his mind as he walked with his friends. "You know something?" he said. "I wonder if we could convince the ghosts to make the house all scary again like when we were trapped inside? 'Cause, I gotta admit, it was kinda fun."

"Oh really?" said Katara in a sardonic tone. "Do you really want to face off against the dragon made out of fire again?"

"Or that giant face in the wall that almost made us its dinner?" added Zuko.

"Hey, I'm just sayin'," said the blonde sharpshooter. "It is Halloween, so why not enjoy it the way it's supposed to be spent?"

The Storm Hawks' carrier pilot, Stork, walked along with the others but did not share their enthusiasm. His paranoia had always made him wary of what was around every corner and it kept him in a constant state of panic. All the memories of going into Black Manor soon flooded his mind. Although he did get to make new friends out of it, he still couldn't get the frightening images of what he had to go through out of his head and it was driving him crazy.

"I don't know why you're all so excited," said Stork. "I sure as hell am not happy of having to come back here."

"Then why did you come, you big chicken?" asked Toph.

"Well, someone has got to be the voice of reason in this group. And if not for me, you'd all be off gallivanting to God knows where and get yourselves into a load of trouble. One case in point: Aerrow making us all go into Black Manor."

June suddenly shook her head in annoyance over the Merb's ranting. "You know, Stork," she said, "sometimes I really don't get you. Mostly you act all scared of everything, and then you suddenly grow a backbone just when things seem to get worse. Frankly I'm surprised that you worked up the courage to get your ear pierced."

"Yeah," said Junko. "Besides, Aerrow making us go turned out to be a good thing: we freed the ghosts, we got back at Dash, and we ending up having a cool party."

Stork scoffed the comment. "That was just dumb luck."

The boy Sky Knight halted in his tracks and turned to face his friends just as they all stopped as well. "Stork," he said, "I'll admit that taking that dare was a stupid thing to do. But I think it was all for the better. If not for us, those ghosts would've spent all of eternity haunting Black Manor like mindless drones."

"So will you at least show some interest into going back?" said Piper.

Stork hunched his shoulders and breathed a heavy sigh. He knew that everything Aerrow said was true, so there was no point in arguing because everyone else would make a counterpoint. "Okay," he said reluctantly. "So, how should I express my interest?"

"Well," said Danny, "the least you could do is smile."

A nod came from the Merb and then he got ready to show what he was asked to do. Stork looked everybody straight in the eye and smiled as wide as he could to show that he was serious. His lips stretched across his face and showed his teeth while his pupils remained still.

Everyone else was taken aback by the smile of their friend. The way that he did it was like someone had just stretched his face from end to end and they were now starting to feel uneasy just from looking at it.

"Oh crap, that's scary!" said Sokka.

Aerrow walked up to Stork while Radarr started chirping with disapproval. "We're going to go see our friends, not kill Batman!" said the Sky Knight.

Stork could see that his smile was making the others uncomfortable, so he dropped his face and resumed his usual composure. Smiling for so long had given him a slight pain so he rubbed his jaw while he continued walking with the others.

"I don't think we should ever force Stork to smile again," said Katara.

"Agreed," said Aang.

"That was actually scarier than everything we faced in Black Manor put together," June said jokingly.

The Merb let out a huff of annoyance, thinking that his friends didn't know what they wanted from him.

Everyone kept silent until they finally got to a clearing. They could all see in the distance the familiar stone wall with the wrought-iron gate in the centre. It was then they realized that they were now standing before the entrance into Black Manor.

"Finally, we're here," said Finn.

"I say we don't waste any more time," said Aerrow. "Let's go see our friends and have a great Halloween."

The others all nodded in agreement and quickly made their way up to the entrance. In each of their minds they told themselves that it was going to be a glorious time with the ghosts as they would get to spend the grand holiday in their own style—and no one was going to ruin it for them.

Suddenly, everyone slowed to a halt when they could see a lone figure standing before the gate. Curiosity took hold of them as they all wondered who would come out to the forest to be at Black Manor.

"Hey, who is that?" asked Junko.

Walking closer to the gates, everyone saw who was standing there. It was a middle-aged, yellow-skinned man who was dressed in a navy blue business suit with a white shirt and a purple tie. His hair was cut low and stood on its end at the top while the edges were gray all the way around his head. The man was too busy staring at the gates while it looked like he was adjusting something over it.

The group of friends had finally stopped when they got close to the man, and Aerrow got up front to ask why he was near the mansion. "Uh, excuse me?" said the Sky Knight.

Hearing the call, the man turned around and stared at the group while keeping his back placed over the gate from where he stood. He looked out at the people staring at him and he met them with a pleasant smile. "Oh, hello there," he said. "I didn't think there would be people all the way out here."

"That's odd," said Danny. "We were just thinking the same thing."

"Who are you?" asked Aang.

The man placed a hand over his chest and took in a deep breath. "I am Russ Cargill, head of the Toon City Zoning Department. And I am here personally to deliver what we plan to do to Black Manor." Cargill moved out of the way and revealed a wooden sign over the gates.

Aerrow and his friends got closer to inspect what it said, and the ones who could see all let out surprised gasps. On the sign written in black letters was the word _Condemned_. They were truly shocked to see the house each of them had come to love was now scheduled to be demolished.

"What's going on?" asked Toph, not being able to see the sign due to her blindness.

"Condemned?" said Piper in disbelief. "Can this be for real?"

"Oh, it's for real, all right," replied Cargill. "We've checked over the blueprints for Black Manor and it's in direct violation with all the building codes and standards, so we'll have no choice but to tear it down."

Aerrow would not accept this, especially since his friends would be involved. He had to make sure that Black Manor would stay up, so he walked over to Russ Cargill with his eyes narrowed. "You can't do this!" he said.

Cargill merely chuckled to himself at the response of the red-haired teen. "And why not?"

"Because Black Manor is a part of Toon City's history. It's something that everyone has loved ever since it came to be. It's one of the very reasons why we celebrate Halloween in the first place."

The man rolled his eyes exasperatedly while he heard the foolish ramblings of a teenager. For a man of his age and designation, he felt that he should not have to put up with it—and he knew that it would all be worth it for the goal he had set in mind about what to do with the mansion.

"Oh, please," said Cargill. "Don't tell me you kids actually believe in that garbage about this place being haunted. Well I've got news for you: it's all make-believe! So why don't you all just mosey on home and—" The man then paused as he suddenly had an idea about who these group of children were and why they came to this spot. "Oh, I get it."

"Get what?" Sokka asked confusedly.

"You kids are nothing but a bunch of protestors trying to stop me from tearing this house down. Well, you can stand out here and shout out your rants about this house being historical all you want; it won't change my mind!"

Stork cleared his throat to get the man's attention. "Okay," he said, "first off, we're not protestors. Second, you've gotta be crazy not to think that this house isn't haunted. I mean, just the name 'Black Manor' should give you some kind of indication."

"Stork's right," said Katara. "You are crazy. What gives you the right to tear down this house?"

Cargill smiled and reached behind his back. When he was done he pulled out a rolled-up piece of paper and said, "_This_ does." Unrolling the paper revealed it to be a legal document with a seal on the lower left corner and a signature at the bottom. "I have official written authorization from Mayor Quimby himself to go ahead with my request to demolish this house. And there's nothing a bunch of snot-nosed kids can do to stop me."

June shook her head and rubbed her eyes to make sure she was seeing the right thing. She then confirmed the seal to be the official symbol of Toon City. "No way," she said. "This can't be real."

"Yup," said Finn. "There's definitely no denying that."

When he could see that the group was awestruck, Cargill rolled up the paper and put it back in his suit. "Now do you understand? I have full authority to do whatever I want to this house, and I say that it comes down."

"But what would you have to gain from doing this?" said Piper.

The man quickly shifted his eyes to the left and right, feeling afraid that his plans had actually been revealed. He then decided to feign his true objective by saying, "That's none of your business, little lady. All you need to know is that I plan on reducing this place to rubble for the good of the people."

Radarr leapt from Aerrow's shoulders and growled at the man, bearing his teeth and angrily stretching his fingers like they had extended claws. The way that this man was talking about his friends' home did not sit well with him. It had certainly worked as Cargill nervously moved away from the furry co-pilot.

"You better keep that thing on a leash," the man said offensively.

"Don't talk to my friend that way, you pompous ass!" Aerrow said angrily. "And if you really wanted to do something for the good of the people, you would leave Black Manor alone! It's a part of our culture and it deserves to stay!" All his friends walked behind him while sharing in his anger, and they all nodded their heads to support his remark.

Cargill was getting fed up with having to explain his actions. Twitching his right eye and balling his hands into fists he shouted, "I don't care if this is Stephen King's summerhouse! I'm just doing my job and I will make sure that it gets done!"

At that moment, three figures had shifted through the stone wall lining the courtyard of Black Manor. While Russ Cargill was still staring at the group, everyone could see that it was their ghostly friends: Amber Pegasus, JusSonic and BlueTiger321.

The ghosts all waved to their friends to say hello, and Aerrow and the others all knew to keep quiet while their friends would get to do something to the man unexpectedly.

Cargill continued speaking to the group. "Now look, kids," he said, "you may think that this is a bad thing, but when you all get older you'll begin to realize that it was for the best."

JusSonic floated behind Cargill and raised his hand over the man's head. The result was Cargill opening his eyes wide while he stood up straight as if he were in a trance. The ghost then put his free hand to the side of his own head and telepathically commanded the man what to say.

The man was now a mindless puppet who was following orders from the ghost controlling him. "Hello," he said. "I'm Russ Cargill, and I'm the head of the Toon City Moron Department. The only reason I'm such a big shot is because I've spent my whole career kissing ass like a pathetic loser. So please feel free to give me a wedgie."

Everything that JusSonic made the man say was making the group laugh out loud. They knew that their friends were definitely not going to put up with Cargill or his plans for their home.

The ghost released his control over the man and vanished from sight. When Cargill suddenly felt like something was behind him, he turned around to see what it was but nothing was there. The laughter from the group made him turn back around while fuming with anger, and they all stopped laughing when the man's eyes were on them.

"As I was saying," Cargill resumed, "this is something that will change the lives of the people of Toon City." It was now Amber Pegasus's turn. Hovering above the man, she stretched out her arms horizontally while he continued to talk and made his face stretch out as far as the length of her hands. "You'll come to see that as well."

The group then laughed again as they saw Russ Cargill's face being contorted the way the ghost made it like she was stretching a piece of clay. First it was far to the sides, then squished into a large ball, then stretched up to make his head look much bigger, and then all around in different directions. Eventually, Cargill narrowed his eyes at the group's laughter and turned around again when his face returned to normal. Amber Pegasus had just vanished so the man saw nothing. But now he felt something suspicious was happening.

Cargill was about to say something else to the group when BlueTiger321 had appeared behind the man. Sticking his hand into Cargill's back, the ghost made the man paralyzed as he dug deep through his skin and then quickly pulled it out while grabbing onto Russ Cargill's skeleton. The skeleton stood before the group and made them all laugh while Cargill still stood upright even though he had nothing to support his body.

Then out of sheer hilarity, BlueTiger321 commanded the skeleton to dance. Little clicks could be heard as the bones grinded against one another when the skeleton was tap dancing along to music made by the ghost. Aerrow and his friends continued to laugh at the man's misery while he was unknowingly being made a fool of by the ghosts.

After one twirl in the air, the skeleton finished its dance by spreading out jazz hands and then being sent back into Russ Cargill's body. The man had fallen out of his trance and looked around to see what was so funny, but the ghost had vanished along with his comrades.

Cargill was now furious when he thought the group was laughing for no reason. "That's it!" he said. "You kids won't think it's so funny when I come back here with a demolition crew! So you better take one last, long look at Black Manor, 'cause it'll be nothing but ruins!" The man then walked away from the group and headed out of the forest with his plan set in mind and he muttered under his breath about how he was being seen as a joke to the group he had just met.

Aerrow and the others all stayed behind while looking at the man, knowing that the ghosts' attempts to make light of the situation had worked. "Okay, he's gone," said Aerrow.

All at once, the ghosts revealed themselves to their friends and stood before them, their translucent bodies seeming like wisps of fog coming into view.

"Man," said BlueTiger321. "That guy really knows how to get on your bad side."

"No kidding," said Amber Pegasus. "I can't stand people who think they can do whatever they want; they just make me want to explode."

"Well, you really can't blame him," said Aang. "Russ Cargill may be a gigantic poophead, but he was just doing his job. I mean, he did have the mayor's consent."

JusSonic looked around and saw the wooden sign placed over the gates. "Condemned?" he said disbelievingly. "That jerk wouldn't know a good house if it came up to him and kicked him in the yahoos!" To show his disapproval, the ghost then picked up the sign and crumpled it up like it was paper and then threw it away nonchalantly behind his back where it burned up in a green flame.

With the horrible business out of the way, the group smiled at the ghosts for having come to greet them. A feeling of excitement filled up inside them all as they would now get the chance to spend time together and enjoy the holiday like they had done so the previous year.

"It's good to see you guys, again," said June.

"Likewise," said BlueTiger321. "We could see you from the mansion so we decided to come down here and surprise you when that psycho showed up. So we thought that we should give him a taste of Black Manor."

"Well, it worked," said Sokka. "I'm really hoping that he doesn't come back."

"Of course he will," said JusSonic, "and he'll be in for the shock of his life when he tries to mess with our home!"

Aerrow came up to the ghosts to ask them a question to which he had to know the answer. Looking each of them straight in the eye he said, "So, how have you guys been holding up ever since Yen Sid left?"

"We've been doing fine," said Amber Pegasus. "It's been a little rough at first but we manage. But for some reason, today he's returned."

The group was taken aback by the statement. For all they knew, Yen Sid had vanished and left Black Manor into the care of the ghosts after they were set free. But now they were all left wondering why the wizard had returned.

"He's back?" said Piper.

"Yes," replied BlueTiger321. "And he also told us to come get you because he wanted to discuss something."

Now everyone was truly perplexed: Yen Sid wanting to talk to them specifically was something that none of them ever expected.

"What does he want?" asked Zuko.

"We don't know," said JusSonic. "The only thing he said to us was to come get you because what he wants to talk about is urgent."

Aerrow knew that if he was given a request, then it was his duty as a Sky Knight to answer it. "Well, let's go see what he wants," he said. "Who knows? It might actually be something that works in our favour."

The ghosts all nodded with approval. The males both opened the gates telepathically while Amber Pegasus turned to the group.

"We'll go to Master Yen Sid and wait for you in the foyer," she said. "Please, be attentive to what he has to say, for I fear it could be something dangerous."

The ghosts then vanished from sight and left the group standing outside before the open gate. Not wanting to waste any more time, they all hastily ran through the opening and approached Black Manor. They could see that the exterior had not changed since the last time they had come, and they hoped it would remain that way.

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><p>BlueTiger321: Well, how was that for the first chapter?<p>

Aerrow: Not bad, though I'm hoping for some more scary bits in later chapters.

Stork: Oh, you mean like this? *shows his creepy smile*

June: -_-U Don't ever do that again!

BlueTiger321: Well folks, stay tuned when the group hears what Yen Sid has to say. Also, Russ Cargill is the antagonist from _The Simpsons Movie_ and the part where Stork has the creepy smile is a reference to one of my favourite scenes from _The Big Bang Theory_. So, until next time…

Danny: Read and review!


	2. Chapter 2: The Looming Darkness

Chapter 2: The Looming Darkness

BlueTiger321: Well, now our heroes know that Yen Sid has returned to tell them something important. Will they say yes to whatever he has to say knowing that it might lead to horrible things beyond their worst imaginations? Let's find out!

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><p>A creaking sound could be heard as the door to Black Manor was slowly opened and in walked the group after crossing the courtyard. All they ever wanted to do was to have a nice, relaxing time to enjoy Halloween with their ghostly friends, but now they had been told that Yen Sid, the wizard who had built the mansion many years ago to conduct research, had returned and wanted them all to come see him. It appeared to them that they would have to put their plans on hold since they knew that it would be something important.<p>

Everyone had entered the mansion and walked along the floorboards, hearing squeaks as their weight pressed on the aged wood. The door was then immediately shut by some unseen force and every one of them was put on guard by the sudden noise. It was at that time they heard some snickering in the distance. Turning around revealed to them BlueTiger321 floating in midair while he had his hand outstretched. A smirk came on everyone's face while they looked at the ghost for his playful prank.

"Brings back memories, doesn't it?" said the ghost.

The others merely shook their heads and decided to play along with the ghost's sense of humour. While they all stood in the foyer, they looked around and saw that the mansion's interior was kept the exact same way as they had first entered: dust lined every object, cobwebs were around almost every corner, and everything was in its rightful place. To them, it looked as though the entire mansion had not been disturbed after they left it.

"Wow," said Aang. "You guys really left this place intact, didn't you."

JusSonic and Amber Pegasus had joined their companion, and they all floated down to the floor so they were eye-level with the group. One person was still missing but would reveal soon reveal himself.

"Yeah, well, we all agreed we should keep everything where it should be from the way Master Yen Sid designed it," said JusSonic. "And it's not like a dusty mansion really affects us in any way."

No sooner had JusSonic said those words when Stork coughed as he had accidentally breathed in some dust. His face then changed from his usual green to blue while he was gasping for air. Junko had come to his aid and patted his large hand on his friend's back. But due to the Wallop's massive strength, he ended up slamming the Merb to the floor.

Everybody cringed when they saw Stork lie on his stomach after he had finally gotten the dust out of his lungs. Standing up, he scornfully looked at Junko who gave an apologetic smile.

"Sorry," said the Wallop.

Stork's mind was on another issue, so he turned to the ghosts. "You mean you three hadn't spent any time at all doing a single thing to keep this place tidy while we were gone? Don't you know that it could lead to many dangerous pathogens?"

"Uh, Stork," said Katara, "I don't think that really concerns them, since they are ghosts."

"I meant about us!" To prove his point, Stork reached into his clothes and pulled out a bottle with a nozzle on the end and sprayed a liquid on his hands to disinfect himself. "You guys should take some of this before it's too late, though I don't know if it'll really do us any good."

"Well," said Aerrow, "Stork's worries aside, it's good to see that you kept this place the way you remembered it. I'm sure that it reminds you guys about the good times you had with Yen Sid."

Amber Pegasus nodded in response and said, "It does. There isn't a day that goes by where we don't think about Master Yen Sid and all that he did for us."

"I would gladly give up all my powers if it would mean he would stay," said BlueTiger321.

"I know what you mean," said JusSonic. "If it wasn't for Master Yen Sid, then we probably would've lived a sheltered life in our own universe. He opened our eyes to this world and all its wonders. And now to hear that someone wants to take away our home…" The ghost shook his head in worry over the possible future of the mansion but was more troubled over who was responsible. "I can't believe there is actually someone who wants to do this."

"Don't worry about Russ Cargill," said Piper. "I'm sure that you guys will figure out some way to keep the mansion."

"But didn't you see what he had?" said Zuko. "An official document from the mayor. If he's got that kind of authority, there's no way we can stop his plan."

"But there's gotta be a way," said June. "We can't just let him destroy this house. I don't care what he thinks—there is nothing wrong with Black Manor."

Danny brought his hand over his chin while he thought about what Cargill had said. "Well, he is right about one thing," he said. "This place does look like it would be Stephen King's summerhouse."

Everyone laughed at the comment. But it still did not change their views about what was going to happen to Black Manor if they could not find a way to save it. The laughter died down and everyone returned to the case at hand.

"I'm sure we'll think of something," said Aerrow. "But right now we've gotta hear what Yen Sid has to say."

"Speaking of which," said Finn, "where is he anyway?"

At that moment, Radarr perked up his head when his ears picked up a sound coming from the distance. He walked out on his hind paws to listen for the sound and could tell that it was footsteps that were coming closer to the foyer. The creaking of the wood was getting slightly louder, and the furry co-pilot chirruped when he knew that whoever was making them was approaching the group.

Aerrow could see that his friend was listening for something. "What is it, Radarr?" he said.

The little guy pointed a finger to the adjacent hallway, so everyone did as he asked and looked in the direction. From out of the shadows came the wizard, Yen Sid. He walked with subtlety across the floor while keeping his composure in front of the group.

On instinct, the ghosts bowed in respect before the wizard while the rest of the group remained still to see why they were to come to the mansion. Yen Sid stopped before everyone and smiled upon seeing them, knowing that he would finally get to say what needed to be done.

"Master Yen Sid," said BlueTiger321. "We have done as you asked."

"Rise, my friends," Yen Sid said humbly. "There is no more need for you to think of me as your master. The days of you serving me are over, and now I am coming before you as your equal."

The ghosts were a bit surprised to hear the words coming from the wizard, but they honoured his request and stood up. Everyone else had a smile on their face to see that Yen Sid was still treating the spirits with the same dignity that he always showed them, and it was one of the reasons they all respected the wizard.

Turning to Aerrow and his friends, Yen Sid took in a deep breath as he greeted them. "I thank you all for coming here on such short notice."

"Think nothing of it," said Sokka. "It's always been in our blood to help those in need."

Toph gave a short chuckle and smirked at the boy. "Since when have you been so altruistic?"

"Shut up," Sokka whispered.

The Sky Knight looked thoughtfully at the wizard. "It's our pleasure," he said. "Now, you said that you had something urgent to discuss with us. What is it, exactly?"

Yen Sid could tell that the red-haired teen was getting straight to the point, so he thought there was no point in delaying it any further. "It is something that concerns all of Toon City. Do you all remember on the night you freed us that I showed you how the curse over Black Manor came to be?"

"Sure, we do," said Danny. "You showed us that Maleficent had come to stop you, and she ended up making you vanish and turning the ghosts evil."

"That was _not_ a pretty thing to see," said Finn.

"I sure don't ever wanna see it again," said Junko.

Yen Sid saw that everyone remembered so he continued. "Well, I fear that Maleficent is returning and she will shower an unspeakable evil upon our world."

Everyone, including the ghosts, gasped at what they heard. From what they knew, Maleficent was the epitome of evil and no one, no matter what their mental state was, would dare to stand in her way.

"Are you serious?" said June. "That witch is gonna take control over the whole city?"

"And you know this how?" said Stork.

"I have been sensing her power for some time now," replied Yen Sid. "The way that her strength is growing proves that she plans to unleash everlasting darkness throughout the entire city. No one will be safe, and no one would be able to stop her."

"Then how do we stop her?" said Piper.

Yen Sid closed his eyes as he thought of how it would be possible to abolish the sorceress's plan. "There is still time until her power is at its peak." The wizard opened his eyes and looked with great concern. "What you must do is go into her castle and stop her before she has attained the strength she needs. Only then will our world be saved."

"But what makes you think we can do it?" said Aang. "You've gone up against her and she singlehandedly defeated you."

"The reason I can only ask you is because you all bravely stepped into Black Manor when we were under Maleficent's power and ended the curse. I know that you are the ones we need in order to stop her because you all share a bond that cannot be broken, and that is the key to defeating her."

Aerrow gave a stern look to the wizard. As a Sky Knight, it was his job to protect the innocent from whatever threat loomed in the future, so he would graciously accept the task bestowed upon him. "I understand, Yen Sid," he said. "If it's for the sake of everyone in our world, we'll do whatever it takes to keep them safe."

Stork slapped a hand to his face in annoyance. "Thanks, Aerrow," he said. "Thank you so much for accepting this dangerous mission without seeing what everyone else here thinks."

But everyone got up to join Aerrow to support his response. They knew that they were the only ones who would stand a chance against an impending doom, so they had already given their answer. Stork, meanwhile, rolled his eyes and joined along with the others since he knew that he was already involved in it.

BlueTiger321 could see the courage from the others, so he stepped up and said, "I'm going, too. I won't let Maleficent cause any pain and suffering like she did to us."

"That goes double for me," said JusSonic.

"And me," said Amber Pegasus.

The others all smiled to see that their ghostly friends would join them in the mission. In their minds they thought their force would be strong enough to stand up to Maleficent and keep her from spreading her evil.

Yen Sid bowed his head for seeing the courage displayed by the ones before him. His suspicions had been proven true; the only people he could count on for this mission were going to go through with it. "I am glad that my former apprentices are stepping forth," he said, "because I will be unable to guide you on your quest."

A quizzical look formed on Aerrow's face. "What do you mean by that?"

"My magic will be severely impaired should I enter Maleficent's realm. I would be powerless to aid you, but the three spirits may join you. Black magic and ghostly powers are of the same compound, so they will help you all immensely."

"We understand," said Aang. "It would be great if the ghosts could come with us."

"So how are we going to stop Maleficent once we get into her castle?" asked Piper.

The wizard reached into his robe to grab something he held. "It is quite simple," he replied. "Maleficent's power stems from a single source that slowly gathers the energy around her. What you must do is find the source and eliminate it with this." Yen Sid then held out his hand and showed a blue sphere sitting in the middle.

Aerrow immediately recognized the object from the last time he and his friends were in the mansion. "Hey," he said. "That's the gemstone we used to free you guys."

"Indeed," said Yen Sid. "This will be your ultimate weapon in stopping Maleficent. It is the only magic I have that will work in her realm, so I am giving it to you to make sure that you stop her once and for all."

The Sky Knight then reached out and willingly took the gemstone from the wizard. He placed it within his suit for safekeeping and knew only to take it out when the time was right. The gemstone had made Aerrow feel much stronger, knowing that it was the one thing to prevent darkness from spreading over the world.

"Okay," said Danny. "Now that we know what we're going to do, let's get over there."

"Not so fast," said Yen Sid. "I must warn you all that Maleficent's castle is filled with many dangers, so you must be on your guard with every step you take. And I fear that she may feel a familiar presence when the spirits enter."

"So what would you have us do?" asked Amber Pegasus.

The wizard smiled and then raised his hand. A blue light glowed from his palm that shot out in three parts that headed for Aerrow, Danny and June. The lights enveloped their bodies until they faded, and they each saw that they were now holding a different accessory made out of silver: a ring on Aerrow's right index finger, a buckle over Danny's belt, and a medallion around June's neck. Each one had a clear gem in the centre that glistened from the light casting through the window.

"Hey!" Finn said in a jealous tone. "How come they get the shiny bling?"

"Because you'd probably break them, genius," said Toph.

Yen Sid turned to the three he entrusted with the accessories and said, "What you three are wearing will hide the presence of the spirits. They may stay inside the gems and can come out whenever they like so long as you are near."

A warm smile came onto Aerrow's face as he had been given a great gift from the wizard. "Thank you, Yen Sid," he said. "With our friends to back us up, I'm sure we'll be able to stop Maleficent."

BlueTiger321 got up in front of Aerrow while JusSonic approached Danny and Amber Pegasus walked towards June. The ghosts were going with them for a quest filled with peril, but they would all have the support of each other to see it done, and they knew that was all they needed.

"I think we've wasted enough time," said BlueTiger321. "Let's head on over to Maleficent's realm so we can put her in her place."

With that, the ghosts all fused with the objects held by their friends. The gems on each item had then changed colour once the spirits were inside: Aerrow's ring had changed to blue, Danny's belt buckle was green, and June's medallion was pink.

"So, what are we waiting for?" said Zuko. "Let's find Maleficent and teach her a lesson she won't soon forget!"

"Uh, there's just one problem," said Stork. "How are we supposed to find Maleficent?"

"I will show the way," replied Yen Sid. "I will use my magic to open a portal for you. But be warned: once I close the portal, you will not be able to return unless you are successful."

Aerrow looked at the others to see if they had any doubts about going to Maleficent's realm. To the Sky Knight, he wanted to make sure if his friends were willing to go through with the mission after hearing the possibility of never coming back—and he could not force any of them into something that they were too afraid to do. The Sky Knight saw the looks on their faces and he knew that none of them were going to back down; even Radarr looked up at the boy and gave him a thumb's up.

"We're ready, Yen Sid," said the red-haired teen.

The wizard then spread out his arms and made a flash of light appear in the middle of the foyer right before the group. It grew bigger until it was roughly the size of a doorframe and showed blue magical energy continuously swirling around like a whirlpool.

"Good luck, my friends," said Yen Sid. "May you be victorious on your quest."

Aerrow was the first one to step into the portal, and then the others one-by-one stepped inside after him. It eventually came down to Finn and Junko being the last ones to enter.

"At least Dash and his crew won't be able to mess things up," said the blonde sharpshooter.

"You said it," said the Wallop.

The last two had finally entered the portal where it was sealed by Yen Sid's command. The wizard smiled at what he had accomplished and hoped that the people he had entrusted to the mission would be able to complete it for the safety of their world.

Not long after the portal had closed, a crow cawed as it was perched on the branch of a tree. It looked through the open window and saw the entire scene taking place as its eyes glowed blood red.

* * *

><p>BlueTiger321: Well, there's another chapter done. Can we stop Maleficent?<p>

Aerrow: I know we will.

Finn: Hey, Aerrow, I wanna hold the ring with the ghost in it.

Aerrow: Uh, I don't he'll allow me to just give it to you.

Finn: Well, we'll see about that! *grabs the ring and then gets electrocuted*

BlueTiger321: You know, I'm with Aerrow for a reason, Finn.

Finn: Now you tell me?

BlueTiger321: Well folks, stay tuned for another chapter where you'll get to see something else taking place. So, until next time…

Aerrow: Read and review!


	3. Chapter 3: A Shady Deal

Chapter 3: A Shady Deal

BlueTiger321: Ooh… It looks like things are about to get more sinister. So now that our heroes are heading to face off against Maleficent, let's see what's happening on the other side. Enjoy!

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><p>A dark chamber was sitting peacefully high atop a crystalline structure. All around the room was comprised of a black glassy surface that gave off a faint purple hue. It was offset by the lights coming from blue flames dancing on torches situated at the far ends as well as a red light flashing in the centre like a signalling traffic light. It was within this setting where the greatest evil known to every being, whether human or toon, was currently resting.<p>

At the northern side of the room seated on a high throne made out of the same obsidian-like substance was Maleficent. The evil sorceress sat neatly with her staff clutched in her right hand. To the left of her throne was a sword meant for decoration hanging on the wall with the tip pointed to the floor as though it were a symbol of something that was supposed to be forgotten or despised.

Maleficent looked at the light forming in the middle of the chamber and saw it expand to form an image within it. From where she sat, she could see it was of Aerrow and his friends all walking into the portal created by Yen Sid. A feeling of smugness washed over her as she was right in thinking to send one of her minions to spy on the wizard, and luckily she could see and hear everything the crow was transmitting to her.

A short bit of laughter soon escaped the woman's lips while she took in all the information from her servant. "How typical of Yen Sid," she said, "leaving the fate of the world in the hands of children. Well, that will be a mistake that he will have to live with for the rest of his life once I do away with them."

Maleficent then walked off her throne and paced slowly around the room while still keeping her focus on the image. Her mind was contemplating on the thoughts of what should happen if by some miraculous chance that the children sent to stop her were actually to succeed. And even with the power she had, she could not afford to risk it.

"Still," said the sorceress, "I cannot have anyone interfering with my plan. I need more time while I gather the energy I need."

Another laugh echoed in the room, but this one sounded masculine. Maleficent turned her head to the direction and saw within the darkness her most loyal follower. The only thing that she could make out was his glowing yellow eyes while the rest of his face remained under a brown hood.

"Oh, I am sure that your defenses will be more than enough to take care of them, Master," said the man. "After all, you perfected them yourself. Not even the strongest or the smartest person could ever hope of finding their way out of your castle. And even if they could, I would be able to intercept them and let them be consumed by their own fears."

"That is not enough," Maleficent retorted. "Those children were the same ones who broke my spell with Yen Sid's help, and there is no telling what they could do if they were to make it here. I must keep myself safe until my power is at its strongest."

A thought then came to the woman as she rubbed her slender fingers over her chin. Maybe, she thought, there could be some way to bide the time of the group while she was still gathering energy.

"Perhaps there is something I could use in my favour," said Maleficent.

With a wave of her hand, the sorceress looked over the image again to see if there was one thing said that could be useful to her. The image then showed Finn and Junko about to enter the portal when the marksman turned to his Wallop friend.

"_At least Dash and his crew won't be able to mess things up,"_ said Finn.

"_You said it,"_ said Junko.

The image ended when the two stepped into the portal, and Maleficent halted it by her command. Narrowing her eyes, the woman figured that the people mentioned by Finn were rather unpleasant to him and his friends. "Interesting," she said.

Maleficent pointed her staff to the image where she cast a green beam of light to enchant a spell. Right before Maleficent, the image changed into events that had transpired at Black Manor a long time ago. She watched as the group of children were pressured into going into the mansion by a different group comprised of three males who looked boorish: Dash Baxter, Snipe, and Jack Spicer. The image then changed to a scene where Dash and his crew were scared out of the mansion by the ghosts and scared once again by Aerrow and his friends disguised as zombies.

The sorceress knew then that Dash's group would be perfect in getting rid of Yen Sid's companions because she could offer them the one thing they could have—revenge.

Maleficent changed the image once more as she searched for the people she would need. Her face lightened up as she saw the trio walking by themselves through Toon City like they were doing their own business. The image faded by her command and she turned to her follower.

"I believe I have found the solution," said Maleficent. "I am going to go recruit some people that I think will do anything I say when I give them their deepest desire."

A cloud of black smoke had then shrouded the sorceress. It formed over her body and teleported her out of the room while she cackled with malicious intent. Soon, she thought, her dreams of grandeur would become real, and it would start by gaining the support of three buffoonish men.

* * *

><p>Dash, Snipe and Jack walked through the streets of Toon City with fear clouding their heads. It was one year ago to the day when they were fooled by Aerrow's group when they pretended that they had fallen to the horrors of Black Manor. It was a simple prank they had played that had backfired on them, and it left them with the impression that nothing good could ever come to them on Halloween.<p>

All three of them looked with downed faces as they walked, trying desperately to get those horrifying images out of their heads. But try as they might they were surrounded with Halloween paraphernalia and it reminded them all of what happened and kept them in their troubled mood.

Dash looked at his crew as he walked. "So what do you guys feel like doing?" he asked.

"I just wanna go home and forget all about today," answered Jack. "All this Halloween stuff is bringin' me down."

"It's all because of those damn kids," said Snipe. "We never shoulda messed with 'em in the first place." A sneer crossed his face while he looked at Dash. "You just had to make 'em go inta Black Manor, didn't ya."

"Hey!" Dash said in protest. "I thought it was a good idea at the time. And don't blame me for what happened afterward. How was I supposed to know that ghosts really were in there?"

"Well, I can't believe they actually worked with Aerrow and his friends," said Jack. "But man, they sure got us good."

"Oh, shut up, dummy," said Dash. "Let's just try to put it behind us and have some fun for a change."

At that moment, the trio stopped when they were in front of a store selling Halloween decorations. They looked at what was placed outside and saw a mannequin dressed like a zombie standing still with its arms stretched out as if to grab its prey. Dash and his crew froze with terrified expressions when they saw the zombie's green skin and rotting teeth, and all the memories of Aerrow and his friends rising from the earth when they were zombies came flooding back to them.

A scream escaped each of their mouths as they ran in the opposite direction and down an alley. When they saw they were a good distance away from the store they halted to catch their breath. Sweat beaded down their brows when they stood up and looked around the darkness of the alley, feeling lucky that no one actually saw their cowardice.

"Oh man!" said Snipe. "That scared the crap out of me!"

"I hope not literally," said Jack.

"You're one to talk! As I recall, weren't you the one who actually wet himself when we saw the ghosts?"

"I have a good reason: I just drank a lot of soda before coming with you guys to the mansion. It wasn't at all from the fact that I was scared."

Snipe rolled his eyes at the comment. "Oh, yeah, right. So you just picked that time to actually take a whiz?"

"Hey! I happen to have a small bladder!"

"Shut up, you guys!" shouted Dash. His voice was then calm when he caught his breath, so he looked at his crew just as black smoke appeared unsuspectingly from behind him. "Enough of this. Let's just get outta here so we won't see anything else that has to do with Halloween."

Snipe and Jack were about to nod their heads in agreement when they saw the smoke rise up behind their friend. It was so unexpected that they were confused by it, but then they were frozen in shock when the smoke revealed a slender woman dressed in a black robe while holding a staff.

"What's wrong with you two?" said Dash, still unaware of the woman behind him.

Jack raised a shaking hand and pointed to indicate what he was seeing. Turning around, Dash yelped in fright when he saw Maleficent standing before him and he quickly backed away along with his crew to get a good look at the stranger. They were so overcome with fear that they remained silent while the woman slowly walked forward.

"Greetings," said the sorceress.

Dash felt that it was his right as the leader of his group to gather up the courage to speak. Standing up straight and showing an angered look he said, "Who the hell are you?"

"I am the almighty sorceress, Maleficent, and I—"

The woman was interrupted when she heard sobbing and saw the trio drop to their knees begging for mercy. Hearing the word sorceress had obviously meant something bad to them and they had no idea how to handle the situation, so they went with their only option.

"Please, don't hurt us!" said Dash. "We've been through so much today!"

"Yeah!" said Snipe. "All we wanna do is go home!"

"Can you find it in your heart to let us go?" said Jack.

Maleficent sneered at the trio for revealing their cowardly sides to her, but she was especially displeased with Dash after showing his macho exterior and then acting like nothing more than a grovelling wretch. But fortunately for her, she knew of a way to toughen them up and use them as her pawns. Holding up her staff, she made the orb glow green while Dash and his crew were still begging before her.

An image of a green, four-eyed beast immediately came out of the staff and roared before the trio that shocked them into standing where they huddled together in fright while they screamed. The beast returned to the staff, and the woman stared at the group when she saw they were quiet.

"Now that I have your attention," said Maleficent, "I am not here to cause you any sort of harm."

Feeling curious, Dash asked, "Then why are you here?"

"I stand before you to see if I could get the three of you to join me. You see, I have what you might call an 'infestation' that desperately needs to be dealt with very quickly, and you three seem like the most suitable candidates for the job."

Snipe gave a confused look to the sorceress. "You want us to take care of a few bugs?" he said. "Why don't cha just deal with 'em yourself? That thing you showed us would be perfect to clear 'em out."

"My problem is not with insects, you imbecile," said Maleficent. "It is with a group of people who are making their way towards my castle as we speak."

"What kind of people?" said Dash.

"Oh, you should know them better than anyone else. They are the same people who made the three of you look like fools at Black Manor."

Upon hearing those words, the three broke apart and stood amazed by how well the woman knew about what happened last year. Still, Jack thought it would be safe to test the sorceress if she was speaking of the same people that they knew.

"You mean Aerrow's group?" said Jack. "They're going to stop you at your place?"

"Correct," replied the sorceress. "What they intend to do is something I cannot allow, so I have come here to see if you would be willing to do away with them." The woman felt there was no need to explain her true purpose since she already knew that it wasn't the concern of the trio standing before her.

Dash felt intrigued by the offer, but he knew that there had to be some kind of catch. "I don't get it," he said. "What's in it for us?"

A smile came to Maleficent's face as she would explain to them the benefit of working for her. "Why, you would have your retribution against them. After all, is that not what you really want, to make them suffer for what they did to you? If you come with me, I can make that happen so that you will never have to feel ashamed anymore."

The trio thought it over and immediately they felt devilish smiles creep onto their faces. Their bullying instinct told them that it would feel pleasurable to finally get revenge against Aerrow and his friends for scaring them back at Black Manor. For Dash especially, it would make him feel like a big man after his reputation had been tarnished.

"How 'bout it, guys?" said Dash. "You in the mood for some payback?"

"Oh, hell yes!" said Snipe. "It's time we give those dweebs what they deserve!"

"She had me at 'retribution'," said Jack, "whatever that means."

Dash turned back to Maleficent and said, "Sign us up. We're up for tearing those losers a new one any day!"

In response, Maleficent pursed her lips into a smile as she had now attained the assistance she needed. "Excellent," she said. "Now, let us be off."

Black smoke had then enveloped the sorceress along with Dash, Snipe and Jack. It revolved around them quickly until they had vanished out of the alley where they would head for the castle.

* * *

><p>Back in the chamber of Maleficent's castle, the same smoke the sorceress conjured had gathered in the centre where it rose up and disappeared as it teleported the woman along with the trio she had convinced into joining her.<p>

Dash and his crew got a look around the room and admired the black surface on the walls and floor while the blue lights from the torches reflected off the polished exterior. It gave them the sense that it would be a grand setting for taking care of Aerrow and the others by its haunting structure.

"So this is your pad?" said Dash. "It's pretty badass!"

"I am flattered that you think so," said Maleficent. "Now, we must begin preparations for their arrival."

"Huh?" said Snipe. "What d'ya mean by that?"

"Well, you see, in your current forms, you three do not seem admirable for fighting. So I shall give you something that will most assuredly strike fear in their hearts."

"You mean like upgrades?" said Jack. "I could totally go for that."

Suddenly, another voice filled everyone's ears that said, "So, these are the ones who will protect you, Master? They don't seem like much."

Dash, Snipe and Jack were all frightened by the voice so they whisked around to see whoever said it, but all they could make out in the darkness was the figure's yellow eyes while he laughed at their presence.

"Who's that?" said Dash.

"Oh, he is another one of my followers," replied Maleficent. "His assistance will be useful if I were to resort to extreme measures." Her attention was focused back on the three bullies. "Now then, you three must be ready for when that meddlesome bunch arrives. So I will give you power that you can use to stop them."

"I'm ready, lady!" said Dash. He spread out his arms and opened himself wide. "Lay it on me!"

Snipe and Jack did nothing but stand next to their boss, so Dash looked at his crew with an angry expression.

"What are you waitin' for, morons?" said Dash.

The two realized that it was their turn to follow, so they opened up their arms just as their leader did to show that they were also ready to receive the power from the sorceress.

Maleficent smirked and pointed her staff at the trio. The orb glowed green and then fired a magical beam that engulfed Dash, Snipe and Jack. The force of the magic had caused all three of them to scream as their bodies were now shifting from the power.

Dash looked down at his hands and saw that his fingers were growing claws while his skin changed to a sickening green. It was then he had to close his eyelids while he was still going through the transformation, and he opened them up to reveal that his eyes were now glowing red.

* * *

><p>BlueTiger321: Uh oh! This is definitely trouble!<p>

Dash: Oh yeah! Now it's time for getting even with nerds!

Snipe: I'm sure they're gonna cry for their mommies!

Jack: Yeah, 'cause, uh, they'll be wanting their mommies!

Dash: Just shut up and do as you're told.

Jack: *looks down in shame* Yes, sir.

BlueTiger321: So folks, in the next chapter, our heroes will get to experience the castle for the first time, and it probably won't be a walk in the park for them, so please stay tuned. Until next time…

Dash: Read and review, or else!


	4. Chapter 4: Castlemania

Chapter 4: Castlemania

BlueTiger321: Hi, everyone, and here is the next chapter to my story. Before I begin, I'd like to say to JusSonic that I have thought about your suggestion and will consider making Raimundo and Speedy Gonzales appear as cameos probably in the next chapter, and you'll see that I'll make them work into the story somehow since I've already got the story planned out. And yes, the title of this chapter is a reference to the _Castlevania_ games. So with that out of the way, let's see what our heroes are up to now.

* * *

><p>Aerrow and his friends had walked out of the portal conjured by Yen Sid and all watched it close up before them. Slight anxiety passed over everyone when they were told by the wizard that the only way they could return safely was if they stopped Maleficent from reigning down despair over Toon City. But those feelings were pushed aside when they realized that they would be successful since their friendship was what gave them support.<p>

Everyone looked around the area and saw it to be rather dismal. A slight breeze blew through everyone's hair while they looked at all the rock formations in the darkness. They each thought that if this place were a bit more jovial then they would have the chance to admire what nature had set up for them. But they knew that no time could be wasted; their mission is what mattered at the moment.

"All right," said Aerrow. "So if I were an evil sorceress bent on inflicting total misery on innocent people, where would I put my castle?"

Aang looked off in the distance and spotted something that made his eyes go wide by the sheer size of it. Getting everyone's attention he said, "I think that's a good place to start."

The others all turned to face the Avatar to see what he saw. They all tilted their heads to the sky to view a large castle made entirely out of black crystal with glass windows dotted in various parts. Five towers stood around the massive structure with the largest one being in the middle that seemed to reach up to pierce the heavens. The castle was supported by a large pillar of stone in the centre of a chasm, and a stone walkway reached over to give access to anyone outside.

"Well," said Piper, "it looks like we've found it."

"Yeah," said Katara. "Now the only problem is finding our way in without being detected."

_"I say we just go right in through the front door,"_ said another voice.

The group recognized the voice belonging to BlueTiger321 but he had not made himself visible to the others. It was then that Radarr chirped when he noticed the ring on the Sky Knight's finger flashing blue, so Aerrow held it up for his friends to see.

"So, wait," said Toph. "What do you mean by that?"

The ring once again flashed as the ghost answered, _"Well, you see, the crystal that the castle is made out of is practically indestructible because it's made from magic."_

_"That's right,"_ said JusSonic, making Danny's belt buckle flash green. _"You'd have to be the size of a skyscraper just to smash through it."_

June's medallion was also flashing pink as Amber Pegasus spoke. _"So instead of making a secret entrance that could take forever, our best bet is to just go through the gate as quietly as possible."_

"Wait," Aerrow said in worry. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

_"To be honest, no,"_ said BlueTiger321, _"but it's our only option of getting into the castle. If we just play it safe, then it'll be like Maleficent won't even know we're here."_

The group of friends contemplated the suggestion from the spirits and each thought that they would know more about this realm, so it would be for the best if they were to heed the ghosts' advice if they wanted to complete their mission and return home.

"Okay, we'll play it your way," said Aerrow. Looking at his friends he spoke to them while applying his leadership skills. "Now, let's be subtle about this. We don't even know what kinds of things we'll face in there."

"If it's anything like Black Manor, then I'd say our chances are good," said June.

_"Don't count on it,"_ said Amber Pegasus. _"Whatever Maleficent will throw our way will be a thousand times worse than what we ever did to you."_

"Oh, thanks for the pep talk," Stork said sarcastically.

"C'mon, guys," said Aerrow. "Let's get this over with."

The group then walked to the stone walkway headed for the castle as suggested by the ghosts. Although they did not know what would be expecting them inside, they would boldly enter to save everyone in their world from falling victim to eternal darkness. As they walked, some of them felt curious about this realm.

Sokka looked up at the blackened sky strangely. The time of day was what gave him an odd feeling. "Hey," he said. "It was like the afternoon when we left the mansion, so why is it night time now?"

_"It's always night time in Maleficent's realm,"_ replied JusSonic. _"It's something even we can't understand."_

"So, how does she figure out the time?" said Danny.

_"Who knows? But is that really important right now?"_

"I think it suits her personality," said Zuko. "I mean, what else would you expect from a depraved woman who only has the thought of taking over our world in her mind?"

Everyone else remained quiet by the time they all approached the gate leading into the castle. The gigantic doors stood before them and almost seemed to beckon them to come inside. It was now a question of how they were going to enter; one they hoped that would not take long to answer.

"Okay," said Katara, "so now what?"

Aerrow thought about it while scratching his unruly hair. Remembering what the ghosts said about the crystal being indestructible, he thought of a way to enter the castle without causing a commotion. It then came to him as his emerald eyes brightened up. "We've got someone here who's perfect for the job." He then turned to his team's strongman. "Junko, you're up."

"Sure thing," said the Wallop.

Everyone watched as Junko pushed his hands against one of the doors and applied his immense strength while grunting with force. Only a few seconds had passed before they could hear a scraping sound and saw the door being opened by their friend. When Junko was done, he dusted his hands clean and proudly directed his hands inside the castle.

"Way to go, buddy," said Finn. "You sure showed that door who's boss."

With smiles on their faces, the group walked into the castle with Junko being the last one to follow. No one took the chance to look back as the door slowly closed by itself while not making a sound until it stopped in place right beside the other door to lock the group inside the castle as though someone meant for it to happen.

Aerrow and his friends walked down the hallway filled with torches lining the walls that cast blue flames. It seemed to go on forever as they continued their trek into the first room of the castle, and so far they were all grateful that nothing had unexpectedly appeared out of nowhere to terrorize them. But they knew that it was only the beginning, so they had to prepare themselves for what was really lying in wait.

The group then stopped when they entered a large room that was also made out of the black crystal like the castle's exterior. The purple hue that shined off the surface was a magnificent display as they all looked around the area. The same blue torches they saw in the hallway were also conveniently placed in random spots to cast light. But then they looked at the back of the room where a large staircase sat before them. From what they figured, it was the perfect place to start their search in finding Maleficent's power source.

"Wow," said Aang while gazing at the room. "If this castle didn't belong to Maleficent, I'd say it would be a fine place to live."

"I don't know," said Danny. "Even if this place didn't belong to her, I don't think I'd wanna live here. It looks like the setting for an Ozzy Osbourne music video."

Stork made an 'hmmm' noise while he looked around the room, thinking about what kind of dangers he would have to face along with his friends. "We could be finding things lurking around here that could be worse beyond our worst imaginations…" He then paused for a second as he felt a smile creep onto his face and placed his fingers together in a mischievous manner. "I could learn so much."

Toph actually felt happy as she could feel vibrations in the crystal flooring, which meant she would have no problem finding her way around the castle. A thought then came to her to see if her abilities could be taken further, so she stomped her foot on the floor and raised a crystal stalagmite a few feet away from the group, making them all yelp in surprise.

"Yes!" the blind girl said heartily. "My Earthbending works here!"

"Toph, you've gotta be more careful," said Aerrow. "We don't wanna alert Maleficent. And I thought that the crystal couldn't be destroyed so easily."

_"True,"_ said BlueTiger321, _"but Toph didn't destroy the crystal. Instead she moved it to her will, which is something that is able to be done with it."_

"In any case," Piper whispered. "I think Maleficent would be majorly peeved if she found out we're invading her home."

"Right, Piper," added Aerrow. "So, let's all keep a low profile."

Suddenly, the sound of organ music filled everyone's ears and they all screamed with fright. The sound reminded them all to the time when they first came to Black Manor and heard Finn's cell phone went off. And then they all paused when they faced the blonde sharpshooter and saw him take out something in his pocket.

Finn looked rather amazed by his phone as he stared at it in his hand. "Whoa," he said, shutting off the ringtone. "I didn't know I could get good reception here."

Finn's friends looked furiously at him for causing another idiotic situation.

"You still have that stupid ringtone?" Zuko said through gritted teeth.

"Uh, yeah," said the marksman, looking blatantly at his friends. "I paid two bucks for it, so of course I'm gonna use it. And it is Halloween, so it seemed like the right time." Finn then looked at his phone and laughed to himself when he activated an App.

June grumbled and walked up to Finn while shouting, "Gimme that!"

The Te Xuan Ze snatched the phone out of the boy's hands and then threw it to the floor where she followed up by furiously stomping on it with her foot until it was now a pile of rubble. When she was done, Finn screamed as he knelt down and picked up the remnants of his broken phone.

"Hey!" Finn said in protest. "I was just about to update my Facebook page."

"Oh, really?" said Stork. "And what were you gonna write? Finn is about to head off into certain death with his friends?"

June looked at Finn as he stood up while leaving his broken phone on the floor. "You're lucky that wasn't you!" she shouted.

Aerrow agreed that what Finn did was foolish, but he was forced to shush his friend quiet when he could hear sinister laughing throughout the castle. It bounced off the walls and continued its course to make everyone feel nervous. They all huddled close together for fearing what might actually happen to them and also to be prepared.

"You don't think Maleficent knows we're here, do you?" said Katara.

All of a sudden, everyone saw a green glow coming from the floor, so they looked down and saw the section where they stood had vanished and left a gaping hole that seemed to travel all the way down to the depths of the castle.

"I'd say that's a yes," said Stork.

Immediately, the group screamed as they fell through the hole and slid down into the darkness where they would not know where they would go. It seemed like they had been falling for a long time until each of them landed in a pile in another room.

Everyone was now sore all over from falling from an incredible height and making such a hard landing.

"Is everyone okay?" said Aerrow.

One by one, the others all gave out a groan as if to answer their friend's question, though not feeling too eager to give a response at all. But then June realized that someone in the group was missing.

Standing up and looking around, the Te Xuan Ze said, "Where's Junko?"

As if to answer the girl's question, the Wallop yelled and fell from the hole in the ceiling where he landed right on the girl. Junko stood up and shook his head to regain his bearings and saw June was flat against his stomach. An apologetic smile came onto his face as he peeled the girl off his body and shook her so she inflated back to normal.

"Sorry, June," said Junko.

The only response given by the girl was a groan as she looked up and saw birds flying around her head.

All the others joined the two just as June shook off her dizziness, and together they looked around the new room. Having light cast off from the torches, they saw bars around the walls that contained various rooms. A set of bars was right in front of them to show that they were locked inside a cell.

"Not to sound pessimistic here," said Sokka, "but I think we've just stumbled into the dungeon."

"Gee, what tipped you off?" Katara said sarcastically.

"It's dank, depressing, and there are corpses littering the floor."

Everyone looked down and backed away in shock as they indeed saw decaying bodies all around them, their clothes all ragged, and their hair filthy and matted against their heads, and their teeth rotten or missing. A feeling of disgust and grief washed over them as they looked at the bodies lying in their final resting place.

"Do you think they were all Maleficent's prisoners?" said Aang.

"It sure looks that way," said Aerrow. "They all must've tried to stop her but wound up getting trapped here."

"I hope that everyone in our world doesn't end up like this," said Piper.

"They won't," said Danny, "because that's why we're here."

"That's great and all," said Stork, "but can we please get out of here before we end up like these guys?"

Toph sighed in frustration and went over to the bars. After cracking her knuckles, she pulled the bars apart like they were putty in her hands, and she and the others walked out of the cell. They were about to find their way out of the dungeon when they all heard a grumbling noise. They stopped where they stood and looked around for whomever or whatever was causing it.

"What the hell was that?" said Zuko.

"I thought it would've been Radarr," said Aang.

The furry co-pilot looked up at the boy and chirruped in protest while he narrowed his eyes. Never would he ever make a sound like that, and hearing him being accused was quite insulting to him.

Just then, they heard footsteps coming from behind and saw the bodies that were in the cell now stood up and walked towards the group with the pace of a sloth. Low groaning came from their mouths that sounded just like the noise everyone heard and it made the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end. It soon got worse for them when every other cell in the dungeon was mysteriously opened and out walked more of the bodies to advance on the group.

"Okay, now _that_ is creepy!" said Piper.

"But we can take these guys!" said Aerrow. The Sky Knight followed up by pulling out his daggers from his back and ignited the blades to cover them in blue energy.

The others were also getting ready: the Storm Hawks all drawing their weapons, Danny transforming into his ghost persona, June getting into a fighting stance, and the Avatar's group all getting into Bending formations. But then, the ghosts within the accessories had come out and joined their friends to prepare for battle.

"You didn't think we'd miss out on the fun, did you?" said BlueTiger321.

"I'm ready for a fight," said JusSonic.

"They won't stand in our way," said Amber Pegasus.

Aerrow smiled, being glad to know that the ghosts would be part of this battle to make it easier. He then rushed out with his weapons extended and jumped into the air where he landed and repeatedly slashed away at the bodies. The blades tore through some of the undead and detached their limbs to make them fall to the floor and miraculously not staining anything with blood.

The others had all joined in the fray: Piper firing shots from her staff, Finn hitting each target with his crossbow, Junko punching through the bodies with his Knuckle Busters, Stork only using his spray can to shoo the bodies away from him, Radarr rushing through and kicking the bodies to topple on each other that were later slashed by Sokka's sword, Aang swinging his staff horizontally to send a wave of air that bisected the bodies by the waist, Danny flying above everyone and firing ecto-blasts from his hands, June knocking the heads off her opponents with punches and kicks, Katara bringing water from her carrier that she used as a whip to tear through the enemies facing her, Toph shooting stalagmites under the bodies that sliced them through the middle, and Zuko reducing his foes to ashes with flames shot out from his fists.

BlueTiger321 walked up to the bodies advancing on him and his cohorts and soon he had a plan forming. Although he knew that this was a serious battle, there was no rule that said he could not have fun while doing it. "If you wanna play," he said, "then I'm game!"

At that moment, the ghost shifted his body around until it looked like he was now wearing a white robe with a red cloak on his back and his face was covered with a white hood. A sword was sheathed by his belt that he pulled out and pointed at his foes. BlueTiger321 had looked like the infamous assassin, Ezio Auditore da Firenze.

"Bring it on!" said the ghost.

The bodies soon advanced on him, but BlueTiger321 slashed away with his sword that cut down his foes. One body tried to strike him down, but the ghost countered the move and thrust the sword into its stomach and pulled out a hidden pistol in his wrist that he shot at point-blank range right behind its head.

JusSonic was also getting an idea, so he shifted his body until he appeared to be a ninja in black and yellow clothing with two katanas behind his back. Taking a page from his fellow ghost's book, JusSonic was now imitating the ninja, Scorpion.

One body was a few feet away, so JusSonic thrust out his hand and fired a kunai attached to a chain that stuck into the body's chest. "Get over here!" shouted the ghost, and pulled the undead foe towards him.

When the body was within reach, JusSonic pulled off his mask to reveal a skull that opened its jaw and breathed out fire that incinerated his opponent. The body groaned as the flames seared its flesh until it collapsed to the ground and turned to ashes.

Amber Pegasus was up next and she swirled her hands around as she changed her form. She was now wearing an elegant blue Chinese dress with white boots and spiked wristbands, and her hair had been formed into two buns that were covered with white linens. The ghost spread out her arms as she made herself to be the kung fu fighter, Chun-Li. It was at that time when she noticed that a group of bodies advanced on her, so she held up her hands while she gathered energy.

The female ghost had then thrust out her hands and shouted, "Kikosho!" A wave of blue energy passed over her body that collided with the undead and battered them until the energy faded and they were all thrown across the room.

Aerrow and his friends had just about finished off the rest of the enemies right before two were left standing. They were then taken down when BlueTiger321 jumped into the air and extended his wrists while bringing out his hidden blades that pierced right through the bodies of the undead. The two fell to the floor and the ghost retracted his weapons.

"Requiescat in pace," said BlueTiger321.

By that time everyone saw the bodies scattered along the ground, having been beaten senseless or slashed to pieces. The ones who had drawn weapons placed them back where they belonged while the ghosts transformed back to their normal appearances and returned to the accessories. The victory that everyone attained made them feel confident in seeing that there was hope if they continued to work together.

"Good guys, one, bad guys, zilch!" said Danny.

"Chica-cha!" said Finn.

"_That was kind of fun,"_ said JusSonic. _"But I wouldn't wanna do it again."_

"Me neither," said Aerrow. "Now let's get out of here before they decide to pull themselves together."

Nobody argued with the red-haired teen, so they all began to find the exit. Now that they knew what Maleficent's magic was capable of, they would be sure to watch out for anything suspicious.

They all kept walking while they passed over what seemed like a puddle of water on the ground. The only one who unknowingly stepped in it was Katara. But the moment her foot stepped away did it begin to rise out from the small hole and take form right behind the group. Its form had changed from clear to black in an instant when it was human-sized and two glowing red eyes took shape where its head would be. As it stood up, its body began to ooze all the way down and make messy footprints with each step it took while it made its way toward the group.

Danny stopped right in the middle as he perked his head up, feeling something out of the ordinary.

"What is it, Danny?" said June.

The halfa turned to his girlfriend and said, "Do you ever get the feeling that you're being watched?"

The others also stopped when they heard the curious words from their friend, and they turned to face him only for a second as their attention was focused on the ooze monster not too far away so they let out screams of fright. Danny and June also turned around to see the creature and also screamed at the sight of it. The monster took another sloshing step forward and groaned when it faced the group, and their minds were now flooded with the memories of the exact same monster the ghosts released on them in Black Manor.

"Hey, ghost dudes!" Finn said worriedly. "You let one of these things loose on us before. Do you think you could, y'know, make it stop?"

"_I really don't think that's going to work,"_ said BlueTiger321. _"Maleficent is the one who summoned it, so it'll only follow her command."_

"Yeah," said Sokka, "and now she's commanding it to swallow us whole!"

Aang smiled when a revelation came to him. "Wait a minute! We've stopped this thing before with fire."

"You're right, Aang," said Zuko. "It won't last one second with our combined Firebending."

The Avatar and the Fire Lord smiled and extended their palms to the ooze monster. Both of them then shouted when they released a jet of flame that struck the creature and made its body turn red from the intense heat. When the two friends were sure that it was enough, they stopped their attacks and saw the monster was still standing with its body not having been seared at all. The ooze turned black again when it cooled down and the creature continued its advance towards the group.

Everyone was left in shock that Aang and Zuko's Firebending had not defeated the monster, and they did not know what else to do so the two Firebenders re-joined their friends.

"I'm guessing this is the fireproof model," Piper said worriedly.

Aerrow was out of options, so he turned to his friends and asked, "So, would you guys run?"

"Oh yeah," said Stork, "I'd run."

The group of friends had turned around and started running away from the ooze monster just before it lashed out its arms and struck the floor from where they had been standing. It then slowly gave chase after them to finish the task set out by its summoner.

Through the dungeon everyone ran while trying to get as far away from the monster as they could after seeing no other way of defeating it. Due to the castle's design of the black crystal, it seemed to them that they had been running for a really long time until they had found a staircase leading up at the far side.

"There's the exit!" shouted Aerrow.

The Sky Knight picked up speed while everyone else followed in pursuit just as the monster had caught up to them. By that time the group was already going up the staircase and running as fast as their legs would carry them. They all tried to make their way up the stairs to get to the next floor, but it always seemed so out of reach no matter how fast they were going.

"Man," said Toph. "It feels like we've been running forever."

Everyone else looked down and noticed that they had not actually been making any progress up the stairs; they were still at the point where they started.

It was then that Katara noticed something about the stairs themselves. "It's no wonder," she said. "The stairs are moving down! It's like we're going the wrong way on an escalator!"

The ooze monster had now come to the staircase and stuck to the wall where it slithered towards the group. Everyone could see it coming and they all shouted with fear to see the monster coming after them and there was nothing they could do to get away from it.

But Aang had already developed an idea. Getting at the back of the group, the boy thrust out his hands and grunted as he used a giant blast of air to propel everyone quickly up the staircase and out of the dungeon.

Everyone was sprawled out on the floor after the Avatar saved them from the ooze monster. They had all managed to stand up with grateful smiles on their faces towards the boy for his brilliant tactic.

"Thanks, Aang," said June. "That was a close one."

"Save the thanks for later," said the boy. "It's not over yet."

The others all saw the monster slither up the stairway where it landed on the floor. It then growled right in front of its closest target, which was Stork. The Merb let out a terrified scream as he tried to back away from the creature and think of a way to get rid of it. But there was only one thing he had on him and he was not entirely certain if it would work.

"Stork!" shouted Aerrow, and raised his daggers.

Stork then swallowed nervously and pulled out his spray can, thinking it would have been a frivolous effort but it was worth trying. "Well, here goes nothing," he said. While turning his head away and closing his eyes, Stork sprayed the contents of the can right in the monster's face.

In an instant, the liquid was sprayed at the monster just before it raised its arm to attack. Suddenly, it stopped when the liquid melded with its body and made it convulse. The ooze then started to ripple like a leaf falling into a pond, and then it violently shook its body in different directions.

The others were all confused by the outcome, especially Stork. But then the ooze monster was growing large bubbles on its body, and Piper already came up with what to do. Digging out a few brightly-coloured crystals from a pouch on her belt, she held them up and created a blue energy shield around everyone. It was at that moment that the monster exploded and sent ooze all around the room. The shield generated by Piper had protected everyone from getting covered in the slimy substance. Piper waited until it slid down the shield and settled on the ground to deactivate her defense. What they all saw was patches of black ooze covering the walls and floor.

"I don't believe it," said Danny.

"Uh, what just happened?" Sokka said confusedly.

"I think that thing was allergic to Stork's antiseptic," said Aerrow.

"Wow," said Toph. "I never actually thought one of his crazy gadgets actually worked."

Stork had a smug smile form onto his face when he looked at the others and pocketed his spray can. "Well, now aren't you all glad that I have these things for my protection?"

The Merb was too busy looking at everyone to pay heed to the slime moving on its own. They then formed in separate puddles that all rose in unison where they took shape. The others all saw it and opened their eyes wide to see the unbelievable feat before them, and it left them speechless.

Stork gave everyone a confused look. "What?" he said.

Radarr gave a chirp and held up a finger to indicate to his friend what was happening, and so the Merb turned around to see twenty black ooze monsters standing before the group.

"Not good! Not good!" said Junko.

Everyone then resumed running away down the hall to get away from the newly-formed monsters. It had seemed to them that Stork's tactic actually did more harm than good and they were feeling desperate at the moment.

While they continued to run, Aerrow looked down at his ring to see if the ghosts could help. "Isn't there something we could do?"

"_I don't know!"_ said BlueTiger321. _"If we did have an idea, we'd have come up with one by now!"_

"_But even we can't stop those things!"_ said Amber Pegasus. _"It really took a lot out of us just to keep one of them under our control!"_

"So we're on our own?" said Piper. "Well, I'm up for improvisation! Any thoughts?"

Aang kept running and noticed large windows lining the hallway. He looked down and saw the deep chasm outside the castle and figured it must go an extremely long way down. That's when an idea formed in his head: they were all in a castle made out of crystal, a chasm was outside, and a group of monsters was chasing them. The boy put all the figures together and came up with a solution.

Stopping in his tracks, Aang said, "Guys! I think I know how to stop them!"

The others all halted and turned to their friend. They did not need to hear the plan; they were so desperate that they were willing to believe anything.

"What is it, Aang?" said Katara.

The Avatar turned to one of the windows and said, "First, we need to make an opening."

"On it!" said Aerrow. The boy then drew and lit one of his daggers where he swung it vertically to fire a wave of blue energy that shattered the window. Shards of glass were made and ended up in a pile or fell out of the castle only to be lost for eternity.

By that time, the group of ooze monsters had made their way closer to the group and their eyes all glowed when they found their targets.

"Uh, you might wanna speed up!" said Finn.

Aang nodded. "Toph, give me a hand!"

The blind girl already figured out where this was going, so she pounded a fist into an open palm and said, "My pleasure, Twinkle Toes."

Aang and Toph stood side-by-side and waited for the monsters to come closer. Slowly the creatures came forward while growling, making everyone else shake their knees with nervousness. But the two Earthbenders stood their ground and waited for the right moment, both feeling as strong as a lion on the prowl.

The Avatar saw that the monsters were now adjacent to the broken window, so he shouted, "Now!"

Both Aang and Toph lifted up their hands and made the section of the floor under the monsters move to the side at a fast rate. The result was all the monsters being tossed out the window and falling into the chasm. Everyone watched as their relentless pursuers were now gone forever, so they all shouted with praise just as the Earthbenders lowered the floor.

"You guys did it!" said Aerrow.

"That was good thinking, Aang!" said Katara.

"Yeah!" said Junko. "That was so cool!"

The two re-joined their friends with Aang saying, "It was nothing, guys. Now we better keep moving and do what we came to do."

Toph turned to her friends and said, "Keep showering me with praise if you want."

Everyone chuckled at the comment made by their friend as they all kept walking down the hallway. It was then that they all had gotten back to the room where they entered the castle before falling into the dungeon. This time they were going to pay careful attention to any more traps that were lying in wait for them.

Just before they were about to make their way to the staircase, laughter had filled their ears that sounded familiar to them. They all looked around for whoever was causing it but saw nobody—and they were now feeling truly scared for their lives that a group of people they knew had come to torment them.

* * *

><p>BlueTiger321: Hot damn! What could be lying in wait for our heroes?<p>

Finn: I hope it's not something scary.

Sokka: Well what else could it be?

Katara: Seriously, are you always this clueless, Finn?

Finn: It's just part of the Finnster's attitude.

BlueTiger321: Right. Anyway folks, stay tuned when the group starts to go deeper into the castle and finds more horrible things along the way. So, until next time…

Everyone: Read and review!


	5. Chapter 5: The Monsters Unleashed

Chapter 5: The Monsters Unleashed

BlueTiger321: Well, now our heroes have gotten a taste of Maleficent's castle, so let's see what they'll be up against this time. And JusSonic, I hope that you aren't offended by my response when you asked me to join your group. And as for Raimundo and Speedy Gonzales, I'm sure that I can give them dominant parts in this story as per your request.

* * *

><p>The group stared out across the room as the laughter kept filling their heads. It was so eerie that they were left puzzled at where it was coming from and who was making it. Their earlier encounter in the dungeon had made them ready to tackle whatever obstacles would come their way, and yet they could not help but be afraid for what would be in store for them.<p>

The laughter continued and everyone noticed that it was coming in three parts; each in a different tone. They all thought it was odd since it started out as one and then broke off into separate sections. It was as though three people were laughing at them and instilling them with fear.

Aerrow could feel Radarr clinging to his left leg while they stood near the staircase. To the Sky Knight, he couldn't blame his co-pilot for being so afraid. He could also see June holding Danny close to her as well as Sokka taking hold of Aang and Katara and Junko grasping Finn and squeezing the air out of his lungs. But Aerrow knew that he had to act brave in front of his friends, because they always thought of him as the leader. And without his courage, he thought, they would all be lost.

"Is it just me," said Aang, "or did it just get creepier in here?"

"No, I'm pretty sure it got creepier," replied Stork.

"Who do you think is doing this?" said Piper.

"I don't know," said Aerrow, "but I have a feeling that we're about to find out real soon."

The three voices stopped their laughing and started making 'ooh' sounds to make it seem like they were ghosts who had come to haunt the group. They did not seem scared at all by the noises; instead they felt annoyed by them.

_"Okay, seriously,"_ said BlueTiger321. _"If that's the best impression of a ghost, then I'm feeling a little insulted here."_

_ "No kidding,"_ said JusSonic. _"Even we didn't sound that lame."_

The voices soon stopped and one spoke up, sounding in a complaining tone. _"Hey! I think I did a pretty good job!"_

_"Shut up, dumbass!"_ said a meaner-sounding voice. It then cleared its throat and spoke back to the group in a threatening manner. _"Whoever's in this castle will be in for a horrible time, 'cause we're comin' to get ya!"_

_"That's right!"_ said a tougher voice. _"You're gonna be peein' yourselves when you see what we've got in store for ya, so you better say your prayers now!"_

_ "Don't bother,"_ said the mean voice, _"'cause it won't do ya any good anyway!"_

The group was soon getting angry by the voices for making threats at them, but inside they could already feel their fear rising. Their imaginations soon worked against them as they thought about all the terrible things mentioned. They tried to clear their minds but the continuing laughter only kept it strong—and they thought that it would be too much for any of them to handle.

Finn managed to squeeze out of Junko's grasp and looked around worriedly. "Oh man," he said. "What if they're right? What if we are in for our worst nightmares?"

"We can't let them psyche us out," said Zuko. "Wherever they're waiting for us, we'll just have to tackle them head on. It's already worked pretty well so far."

"Zuko's right," said Aerrow. "As long as we're together, nothing's impossible."

As the laughter continued, Katara got an odd sense by how they sounded. Her memories thought back to everyone she knew and all the times she got to know them, whether if they were friendly or mean-spirited. "Hey, guys?" she said. "Don't you think that these voices sound way too familiar?"

"You're right," said Toph. "I can't quite put my finger on it, but they remind me of some buttmunches I hate with a passion."

Aerrow had already thought of the voices and knew to whom they belonged. But he kept telling himself that there was no possibility that those very people were in the castle with them. And if they were, he questioned why they would align themselves with Maleficent. Somehow, none of it made sense to him.

At that point, the laughter ended and everyone stood motionless. The silence made them feel terrified to do anything, even go up the stairs like they had intended to do. The only thing that each of them could hear was the beating of their own hearts that were going a mile a minute as their nervousness reached their breaking points.

"Now what?" whispered Junko.

"I'm thinking we wait here patiently for our doom to come to us," Stork whispered back.

June held on tight to Danny's chest while she looked out at the room. "I'm scared," she said.

"It's all right, June," Danny assured his girlfriend. "I won't let anything happen to you."

The halfa then got a strange sensation. He lifted up his head and saw his ghost sense appearing out of his mouth. _No way_, he thought. It had really made him astonished since he knew it could only be activated if ghosts were in the vicinity. But the ghosts that he knew were still inside the accessories made by Yen Sid, so there was no way they could make his ghost sense go off.

Aerrow slowly got around the group to make sure that nothing was revealing itself. "Something tells me that the worst is yet to come," he said. His back was turned to a dark spot when he faced his friends, and he did not happen to see a set of red eyes open up in the darkness that gave the red-haired teen a malicious stare.

Radarr was the only one to follow the red-haired teen's movements around the room. But then his eyes looked so wide that he felt like his heart skipped a beat. From out of the darkness behind Aerrow was a huge green-skinned claw raised high above the boy's head without him noticing. Radarr shrieked in response and leapt at the boy's chest to knock him to the floor, and the claw swung and missed the both of them.

The shrieking coming from Radarr had alerted the others so they all turned to see their two friends lying on the floor while a figure stepped out of the shadows. Who it was had made everyone gasp: it was a large figure dressed in a red sports jacket and blue jeans with blonde hair and piercing red eyes. His skin was green like the colour of a rotten cucumber and his hands had razor-sharp claws on the tips of his fingers. A smile formed on his lips that showed his rows of pointed teeth.

Aerrow and Radarr got up to be with their friends as they all stared in disbelief at the creature. But its clothes and facial structure had made the Sky Knight realize something. His suspicions were proven true as the monster let out a laugh that sounded like one of the voices taunting the group.

"Dash?" said Aerrow.

"In the flesh!" replied the beast. "You like my new look? It's courtesy of Maleficent. Pretty freaky, huh?"

Aang couldn't believe his eyes at what Dash had become: it was like nothing he had ever seen. But then a thought occurred to him. "Wait," he said. "If Dash is here, then where are Snipe and Jack?"

No sooner had Aang asked his question when two more figures leapt out of the shadows. The group of friends were surprised at first but then saw them walk up to Dash and immediately suspected that they were Snipe and Jack who had also been transformed.

Snipe was larger than he already was with his clothes and armour bulging out from his increased muscles. Several spikes on his arms had torn through his sleeves and revealed purple hair growing out. His face, like his arms, was also covered with purple hair except for his eyes and mouth. He let out a horrifying laugh while saliva dripped from his fangs and landed on the floor.

Jack's white skin had been turned red and scaly as a tail had grown out from the bottom of his pants while his ears were pointed and large wings spanned from his back that made him look like a gargoyle. His red eyes were replaced with yellow reptilian eyes that showed tiny black slits in the centre, making him look like a rattlesnake carefully following its prey. As he laughed, he showed his teeth that were thin as toothpicks but looked sharp enough to puncture even the toughest hide.

The group was still bewildered by the bullies suddenly appearing before them and looking much different as the result of Maleficent's magic. Still, they could not comprehend why they would side with someone so evil.

"I don't get it," said June. "How could you guys let Maleficent do this to you?"

"It was easy," replied Dash. "When she said that you guys were coming to stop her, she enlisted us to take care of you. It's the best time for us to dish out some punishment on you losers for what you did to us!"

"Get ready to be squashed like bugs!" said Snipe.

Jack let his forked tongue slither out of his mouth before saying, "What you're about to see ain't gonna be pretty!"

Aerrow blinked in surprise by the reason why Dash's band was in the castle with them. "So you just wanted to come here to get revenge on us for a prank we pulled on you that you intended to pull on us? Well, I don't really blame you, but you're not gonna stand in our way! We came here to stop Maleficent and we're gonna see it through to the end, even if it means we have to smash right through you!"

A chuckle came from each of the bullies as they took delight in hearing the words of the Sky Knight. Even though they did not know the reason why Maleficent hired them, they would not let this opportunity for payback slip through their grasp.

"Knock yourself out, pipsqueak," said Dash. "Just don't go cryin' to Momma—" He paused as he thought about what he said. "Actually, yeah. Go cryin' to Momma after we mop the floor with ya!"

Danny looked at the trio as anger was filling up inside him. His fists were already glowing green and he would get to take his rage out on the gang for impeding the progress of him and his friends. Seeing that they were distracted, the halfa went intangible and snuck out through the floor to vanish from sight. He came back through the floor right behind the bullies and went solid again where he raised his hands to fire his attack.

But Jack moved his ears to the side due to his heightened sense of hearing. He smirked as he knew that someone was trying to intercept, so he commanded his tail to stretch out beyond its normal length and wrapped it around Danny's waist.

"What?" Danny said in disbelief.

The halfa was then thrown back to the others where he screamed and landed on the floor on his rear. The sudden toss had made him lose his concentration and dissipated the energy stored up in his hands. All his friends looked down at him in concern after what they saw.

"Danny!" June said worriedly.

Snipe laughed as he was about to show what he could do. After taking in a huge breath through his nostrils, he opened his mouth and unleashed a loud howl that carried the sound waves across the room and hit the group. The force was strong enough to send them flying away screaming in agony until they dropped down to the floor right near an entryway on the other side of the room.

The attack had left many of them stunned, and Danny was forced to revert back to his human form. A groan came out of their mouths while they were still recovering from the unexpected attack.

Finn sat up with Radarr resting over his head as his eyeballs rolled around in their sockets. "Whoa," he said. "I knew Snipe's breath was gnarly, but damn!"

Dash could see that the group was defenceless, so he took this chance to run up towards them. As soon as he was close enough, he leapt into the air and put a fist into his open palm and came down fast with the intention of crushing them.

The first ones to see the attack coming were Aerrow and Piper, and they nodded to each other as they already had a plan in mind. The Sky Knight stood up to face Dash valiantly while the crystal mage dug her hand into the pouch on her belt to bring out what she needed—crystals.

Pointing her crystals at her teammate, the girl shouted, "Titan's Might!"

A green beam of light was fired from Piper's hands that sped towards Aerrow and covered his body in the same aura. The boy felt immense strength suddenly surge through him, so he looked straight at Dash about to fall right on top of him and stuck out his fist. A huge pulse erupted when the two forces collided, and it knocked both Aerrow and Dash away from each other.

Luckily for the red-haired teen, he was knocked back to his friends who managed to catch him just before the power faded out of his body. But Aerrow felt something jostle out of his suit and made a slight ping when it landed on the floor. It rolled down the room and towards Dash's group while Snipe and Jack were helping their friend to his feet. Dash saw the object coming towards him and picked it up to see it was a blue orb.

"No!" shouted Aerrow.

Dash heard the cry and turned his head up to see everyone look on in fear when the gemstone had been accidentally taken out of their possession. A sly grin crept onto Dash's face when he pocketed the gemstone in his jacket and said, "Oh! Is this important to you? Well, not anymore!"

The group was now left with no other choice but to escape. They had all turned around and ran in the opposite direction just before Dash took in a deep breath and exhaled flames from his mouth. The fire kept shooting out and made everyone sweat from the heat and they were worried of ending up being reduced to ashes if they were not fast enough.

Just then, the ghosts had momentarily gotten out of the accessories and held up their hands to create a shield behind the group to give them a chance to escape. The fire battered against the shield just before everyone ran into a room with three different exits.

"Which way do we go?" said Piper.

"Does it really matter?" said Stork. "We're probably dead no matter what door we take. We should just wait right here and let Dash and his gang have their way with us."

"Stork!" shouted Aang. "We can't accept defeat! We made a promise to Yen Sid!"

Aerrow had come up with a solution just as the ghosts returned and he could hear footsteps coming from down the hallway. Although he did not like the idea, he could not think of anything else and knew that it was for the best if everyone was to finish the mission and come out alive.

"We should split up," said the Sky Knight. "We'll try to lose Dash, Snipe and Jack, and then we'll meet back up."

"Are you nuts?" said Danny. "We'll have no idea where we're going!"

"Do you see any alternative?" said Aerrow.

Nobody else really liked the idea but they knew that their friend was right. So with their minds set, the ghosts returned to the accessories and everyone broke off into groups of three and headed down a different doorway: Aerrow, Piper, Radarr, Stork and Aang went down to the left; Katara, Sokka, Zuko and June ran to the right; and Danny, Finn, Junko and Toph went straight ahead. Even though they had been separated, their minds told them that their friendship would lead them back to each other once they had set out to finish the unexpected task.

The groups had left down their chosen hallways just as Dash, Snipe and Jack had run into the room. They each stopped in the room's centre to look around for where Aerrow and the others had gone. But the hallways were too dark for any of them to see and they had no idea if they had left together or separated.

"Ah, crap!" said Dash. "Now where did those dweebs run off to?"

Suddenly, a voice filled the heads of the trio and made them all stand in place to hear it.

"_Find them, you buffoons!"_ said Maleficent.

"Huh?" said Snipe. "How the hell is she doin' that?"

"_Never mind!"_ said the sorceress. _"I have given each of you incredible power, and all you have to do is imagine what you want to do. So use it to eliminate them!"_

"Sure," said Jack. "Whatever you say, boss lady."

"Let's each go down a different way to find 'em," said Dash. "That way, they'll be done for no matter which way they went!"

The trio laughed and broke off to each head down a different hallway to find their targets: Snipe to the left, Jack to the right, and Dash down the middle. With their newfound abilities, they would ensure that their adversaries would suffer much worse than what they had endured back at Black Manor.

* * *

><p>Aerrow's group had stopped running when they were sure they were a good distance away from the bullies. They all took the time to catch their breath but something weighed heavy on the Sky Knight. He immediately walked up to a wall and pounded his fist in rage over what had transpired.<p>

"Dammit!" said Aerrow. "I can't believe I lost the gemstone! Yen Sid entrusted it to me and I feel like I let him down!"

"You didn't, Aerrow," said Piper. "It was by accident that it fell out of our hands."

"Maybe so," said the red-haired teen, "but now Dash has it, and he could be destroying it as we speak."

"_Don't be so sure,"_ said BlueTiger321. _"There's no way the gemstone could be broken that easily. The only way Dash would have any hope of even putting the tiniest crack in it is if he blasted it with a powerful spell—and I doubt he even has the capacity to grasp the fundamentals of magic."_

"And I'll bet he has no idea what it does anyway," said Aang. "If he did, then he would've tried to get rid of it the moment he picked it up. So I think we're safe for now."

"Yeah," said Stork, "but for how long? We're at the mercy of this place, and we could be facing our ultimate end at any moment."

Aerrow walked away from the wall just as Radarr had gotten beside him. "But we still need to keep moving. We've gotta meet up with the others and get as far away from Dash's gang as possible."

They had all nodded and resumed walking down the hallway when something had suddenly jumped out from the floor and surprised them. The crystal rippled as though a fish jumped out of water before it became solid and let the figure stand upright before the group. A scream came from everyone's mouth when they saw the figure standing before them was Snipe.

"Peekaboo!" said the burly man-turned-monster.

Radarr was the first one to respond to Snipe's scare tactic, so he growled with anger and narrowed his eyes. Running swiftly, he grabbed onto Snipe's left leg and bit down hard. Pain travelled up Snipe's body as he shouted and held his leg to soothe the place where Radarr had bitten him. The furry co-pilot had let go and scurried back over to his friends and pulled his mouth to the sides with his index fingers, let out his tongue, and blew a raspberry.

The others saw this was their chance to run so they snuck past the monster and ran down the hallway. But Snipe growled as he watched his targets run past him that soon turned into wicked laughter.

"Hey! I'm just gettin' started here!" said Snipe. The monster then lifted his arms and held out the spikes where he concentrated hard. In an instant, the spikes shot off his limbs and sped towards the group.

Aang turned his head when he heard whistling, and his eyes went wide when he saw the spikes flying his way at an alarming rate. Thinking fast, he stomped his foot on the floor and grunted as he used his Earthbending to bring up a crystal wall that shielded the group as they made their escape. The wall intercepted the incoming spikes and made them bounce off the surface where they rested on the floor.

Snipe had just grown a new set of spikes on his arms while he smiled and relished in the feeling of the hunt. "You can run, but you can't hide!" Using incredible speed, he ran down the hallway and after the group.

* * *

><p>Danny's group was still running down the hallway they had chosen, not stopping even to rest. What they had just witnessed was truly terrifying for each of them and they all thought the worst part was forcing to break off into groups. In their panicked state, they did not seem to notice a pair of red eyes as they passed by a spot shrouded in darkness.<p>

"I can't believe that Dash and his goons are here!" said Finn. "I mean, what did we ever do to them?"

"You mean besides the fact that we scared the living hell out of 'em back at Black Manor?" said Toph. "Honestly, how dense are you?"

"You know, there's a lesson to be learned here," said Danny. "Never piss off anyone, 'cause you never know when they'll come to get you."

Everyone had decided to slow down to a stop just as JusSonic had spoken to them. _"I'll have to admit that I do agree with you,"_ he said, _"but we can say we're sorry another time, when they're not trying to turn you guys into mush."_

The four friends agreed with the ghost and continued walking down the hallway. They could see another room was just up ahead, which gave them the encouragement to keep going forward when the torches lining the walls had gone out all at once. Darkness had now taken over and they were all paralyzed with fear. Huddling close together, they all kept a lookout in case someone or something was about to spring loose.

"Are you all as scared as I am?" said Junko.

"If we say yes," said Finn, "are you gonna grab onto us and squeeze real hard?"

Toph was the only one unaffected by the blindness, so she used her Earthbending to listen carefully to what was around her. A few seconds had gone by with nothing happening, but still she waited patiently for the slightest thing to move that would send the alert through the crystal floor. Just then, a vibration from a few feet away travelled wide, and her senses had just picked up on it and sent the message up to her brain.

"Behind us!" shouted the blind girl. She raised her hand to strike back with a stalagmite but the target was too fast and moved out of the way.

Danny had gone back into his ghost form and held up a glowing green hand to light the hallway and get a clear view. But just when he thought he caught a glimpse of whoever was in the darkness, his ghost sense had unexpectedly gone off again. Now Danny was really confused by what had made it happen. It was already too late for him as Dash had just appeared before him and swiped his large hand upward that knocked the halfa away and into his friends. The group had all rolled along the floor where they stopped before the entrance into the other room.

By that time the torches had come back on and Dash slowly walked up towards the helpless group. They were still trying to recover from the attack while their attacker already had both his hands held up to grow his claws until they were as long and sharp as a butcher knife.

Dash narrowed his eyes towards the people in front of him and said, "I am _so_ gonna enjoy this!"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, June's group had run all the way down to the far end of their chosen hallway where they ended up in a narrow room. They all had caught their breath and looked around to see it was a tall tower with a spiral staircase going up until it got to the next level of the castle. A feeling of relief had washed over them as they each thought they had caught a break.<p>

"Finally," said June. "I thought we'd be running down that hallway forever. Well, at least now we can start exploring the rest of the castle."

"I just wish the others were here," said Katara.

"_We'll find them,"_ said Amber Pegasus. _"We just have to have faith that they'll get through the castle."_

"Which is exactly what we need to do," said Zuko. "So let's keep moving."

The group had then walked up the staircase, hoping that the others had gotten just as far as they did. Up each step they went around the winding tower, sometimes feeling a dizzying sensation from spiralling around so many times that some of them—mostly Sokka—felt like they were going to vomit. To not feel like they were going to fall down, they each leaned on the banister for support.

Sokka kept a firm grip on the banister and slowly walked up the steps with his friends, but then he paused when he felt something was strange about it. His fingers moved along the side and he kept his face forward, feeling too afraid to look at it.

"Uh, guys?" said Sokka. "Since when do you remember a banister moving and being all scaly?"

The others stopped moving and turned to their friend to see what they meant. Their eyes glanced over at the banister and saw that Sokka was right; it was now covered with black scales and began to move. It was at that time that their ears picked up a familiar laugh so they looked to the back and screamed.

There was Jack's head on a snake's body, which meant he was the one who changed the banister with his powers. Like a snake, fangs grew out from his mouth while his eyes were still reptilian similar to his previous form.

"Surprise!" said Jack. He then lashed out while bearing his fangs but June had grabbed a section of Jack's body that she used to shield herself while everyone else had gotten away in time. The result was Jack biting himself and June escaping along with her friends. "Ouch!" he cried. The pain travelled up his body and made him scrunch up to alleviate the soreness while he groaned in frustration.

June, Katara, Sokka and Zuko ran up the staircase while Jack slithered after them, his fangs already tipped with venom. The Te Xuan Ze already had an idea in her head and hoped that it would work. She stayed behind while her friends continued running up the stairs and she looked at Jack with narrowed eyes to show she was not going to be afraid anymore.

"Spicerjuice, Spicerjuice, Spicerjuice!" cried the girl.

Jack suddenly stopped and opened his eyes wide after hearing those words. It looked as though they had a great impact on him and something was about to happen. He then brushed off the feeling and laughed at June. "Wrong story, babe!" he said.

June could see that her tactic had failed and Jack was getting ready to strike. With his fangs ready, the boy lunged out at the girl who could only scream and hold up her arms to protect herself in a useless attempt.

Suddenly, a large chunk of ice went flying and hit Jack in his mouth. The ice was lodged right between his fangs and he stumbled around to get it out. The boy was now wishing that he had a pair of arms to dislodge the ice, but eventually the cold had gone over his body and made him feel weak since his form had made him cold-blooded.

June looked and saw that Jack had not attacked her, and she turned her head to see Katara hold out her hands to show that she saved June from the attack. A laugh then escaped her mouth when the boy was having a difficult time to get rid of the ice until Zuko jumped down and blasted him away with a fire ball from his fist. Jack screamed in agony and slithered away when the flame struck him and burned his body and melted the ice.

"That's right! Run, you son of a bitch!" Zuko said in anger.

"Don't you mean slither?" said Sokka.

"Whatever!"

"C'mon!" said June. "Let's go find the others!"

The group ran back up the staircase and into the next floor of the castle. Jack, after recovering from the various assaults, looked up and growled furiously. He was not going to let them get away and make a fool out of him, so he changed back into his previous form and flew up after them.

* * *

><p>Back with Danny's group, they sat together in one pile helpless before Dash as his monstrous form towered over them. A chuckle from his sinister mouth revealed his sharp teeth to the four of them as they watched with fearful eyes. Pain still wracked their bodies after receiving the blow from earlier and there was nothing they could do to defend themselves—and they figured if they could then Dash would use his superior strength to stop them.<p>

Dash raised his clawed hands high into the air, savouring over his victory like he had tasted the sweet juice from a fresh apple. "So long, losers!" he said.

The group had all closed their eyes when they were about to receive the coupe de grâce from their foe when another voice boomed in the hallway.

"Eye of Dashi!" shouted the voice.

Dash stopped his attack when he was suddenly blasted with a bolt of lightning that paralyzed him on the spot and electrocuted his body. A cry of pain came out of his mouth when the lightning surged throughout him until it finally stopped and made him faint to his left while his body was charred from the attack.

The others all looked with stunned faces to see that they had been miraculously saved, but then they saw that it was not over as a blur sped its way to Dash and repeatedly smacked him in the face. The attacks were so swift that they were practically invisible to the naked eye. Dash ended up receiving each hit to his face until he could take no more and stood up with a worried expression.

"I don't know what's goin' on here," said the bully, "but this isn't over! When I see you guys again, you're gonna wish I finished you off!" Dash then ran past the group just as they stood up and into the next room where he proceeded up a flight of stairs.

Finn, Junko, Danny and Toph all exchanged confused looks about everything that had just happened. What they thought was a rescue was rather odd to them since they knew they were the only ones in the castle along with their other friends—and they knew that they had separated not long ago.

"Okay," said Junko. "So who are we supposed to thank?"

"That would be us," said the mysterious voice.

At that moment, two figures stepped out of the shadows and the others turned their heads to see them as they stepped into the light. Danny was particularly surprised to see them.

* * *

><p>Aerrow's group had now come to a spiral staircase after running away from Snipe. They were now feeling tired after the great length they had traversed just to escape but they knew that they were nowhere close to the end.<p>

"I don't think I can run anymore," said Piper. "My legs are killing me."

"But Snipe is right on our tail," said Aang. "If we stop now…" The boy shuddered when he thought about the possibilities. "Well, I don't even want to finish that sentence."

"Neither would I," said Aerrow. "So let's get outta here before Snipe finds us."

And so together, Aerrow, Piper, Radarr, Stork and Aang all headed up the staircase without looking back. The only motivation they had was to find their friends and put a stop to Maleficent before it was too late. They were so fixated on their goal that they paid no attention to what was going on at the bottom of the staircase.

Snipe ran into the room and skid to a halt while he looked for the group. Tilting his head up, he saw them almost reaching the halfway point of the stairs. Growling with fury, he squatted low and leapt into the air that sent him up the stairs in a single bound. He came down hard on the stairs that shook everyone and made them scream in fright.

"Come to papa!" said the monster, and reached out with an open hand to Aerrow.

Piper saw that her Sky Knight was in danger, and so she instinctively grabbed onto her supply of crystals in her pouch. Finding the right ones, she aimed them towards her friend and shouted, "Infernal Blaze!"

An orange beam shot into Aerrow's body and created flames around him that did not cause any harm; they were part of the red-haired teen after the power he received. And the instant Snipe's large hand grasped around him did he smirk.

Snipe thought he had the boy in his clutches when his skin made contact with the flames. A howl of agony came out of his mouth and made him let go of the boy to tend to his severe burns. He blew into his hand to treat his injuries and left himself wide open for attack.

Both Aerrow and Aang stared at the brute ready with a plan. The two directed their open palms to Snipe's feet and each unleashed a jet of flame. The result was Snipe hopping up and down after suffering more burns at his exposed feet, and he ended up falling off the stairs and screaming all the way as he plummeted to the floor.

The flames around Aerrow's body subsided and he turned to Piper with a thankful smile. "Nice save," he said.

"Don't mention it," said the girl. "Now, let's find the others and end this nightmare."

With that in mind, the group continued their ascension up the stairs to head for the castle's second floor.

While they moved, Stork said to the others, "I really hope the people of Toon City will be grateful to us for what we're going through to save them."

* * *

><p>Back in Toon City at a yard filled with bulldozers and cranes, Russ Cargill stood before a crew of men all in construction gear just as the sun was setting and turning the sky a deep orange. It was all quiet until the man got up to speak to the crew about what he intended to do. He was definitely going to make an impression on the children that he encountered before, and he was going to show them not to get in the way of progress.<p>

"All right, men," said Cargill. "Our job is simple: we go down to Black Manor and demolish it. We have the mayor's approval, so let's get to it while we're still young."

The demolition crew stood around confused by the sudden orders. Although they were all eager to do their jobs, they could not fathom why this particular project had to be done and why they had to do it at that very second.

(A/N: For the demolition crew, I guess you could imagine random guys from _The Simpsons_.)

"You mean right now?" said one worker. "Can't it wait 'til tomorrow?"

"I agree," said another worker. "Somethin' about this doesn't seem right. And even so, it'll be dark by the time we get to Black Manor."

"Exactly," said Cargill. "You see, a weird group of kids saw me there a while ago, and they're trying to keep that place up. They know I have a job to do but they all think that I'm crazy!" The man's eye then twitched as he continued to speak. "Well, I'll show them. We're gonna take care of business before they know it. We need to do it tonight so they'll have no clue it ever happened. If it's already done, then there's no way they can make a stand against me!"

The workers were now feeling like Cargill had gone insane after what he just said, and they still felt skeptical about doing the job.

"Are you sure we have to do this?" said the first worker.

Cargill spun towards the man with a furious stare. "Are you questioning my authority? If I say a job needs to be done, then you damn well better do it!"

Without further question, the workers all nodded and headed for their vehicles to start them up. Meanwhile, Russ Cargill brought his hands together and smiled in a devilish manner. Soon, he thought, his plans would be complete and nobody would be able to stand in his way.

* * *

><p>BlueTiger321: Oh, man! Now <em>this<em> is an unmitigated disaster!

Cargill: Who cares! At least those brats aren't around to stop me!

BlueTiger321: Don't be so sure, dickwad!

Cargill: *grumbles* Why can't I ever win?

BlueTiger321: Anyway, stay tuned for the next chapter when the gang goes through more horrible stuff in the castle, which should produce some terrifying and hilarious results. And here are some references: Jack turning into a snake is from JusSonic's story _Spicerjuice_, and the scene where Jack bites himself is kind of a reference to a scene from _The Sword in the Stone_. So, until next time, be sure to read and review!


	6. Chapter 6: Rooms of Doom

Chapter 6: Rooms of Doom

BlueTiger321: Okay! So our heroes have separated into different groups, Dash and his goons are hunting them down, Cargill is one step closer to destroying Black Manor, and Danny's group has been saved by a mysterious duo. What else is going to happen? Well, to answer that, you'll just have to read on and find out for yourselves! And I apologize in advance for the cheesy title of this chapter! =(

* * *

><p>Danny, Finn, Junko and Toph looked into the faces of their saviours. Although still a little unsure about how they had managed to find the group, the halfa and his friends were extremely appreciative for the heroic efforts of the two stopping Dash from killing them. They felt that now they would be able to get some answers since they were safe for the time being.<p>

The first one who walked up was a teenage boy with lightly-tanned skin and short brown hair spiked forward, almost looking similar to that of Danny and Aerrow. His dark green eyes went well with his green jeans and white T-shirt, and his wrists were covered with red bands that complemented his red sneakers. Hung around his neck was a black string with a golden medallion dangling from the middle with a spiral pattern carved into its surface.

Accompanying the boy was a brown mouse that was dressed in a white shirt and trousers. Around his neck was an ascot that was red like a ripe tomato, and on his head was a yellow sombrero that was slightly tilted upward to reveal his face. All his clothes had been scaled to fit his size.

Danny came up to the two and was filled with joy. A thought then filled his head, so he ran up to them and extended his hand up to make the boy slap a high five. Bringing it low, he then gave his open palm to the mouse in order to do it down low.

"Raimundo! Speedy!" said Danny. "It's great to see you guys!"

"Likewise," said the boy now known as Raimundo. "It looks like we came here just in the nick of time."

"Si, amigo," said the mouse named Speedy in a Spanish accent. "Any sooner and they would've been flat like pancakes."

By that time the others had walked up to say hello and thank them for coming to the rescue. But still, they were somewhat confused by their presence and by how their own friend knew them.

"Uh, Danny?" said Finn. "Do you know these guys?"

The halfa turned to Finn, Junko and Toph to answer the question. "Oh, sorry, guys," he said. "This is Raimundo Pedrosa and Speedy Gonzales. We know each other because we were the main characters in JusSonic's story, _The Three Toon Caballeros_."

"Yeah," added Raimundo. "We've basically been friends ever since then."

"That story really made us bond together," said Speedy. "Thanks to the author, we're now amigos for life."

The others all nodded in understanding: it was not by accident that Danny actually knew the boy and the mouse.

"Well, thanks for saving our lives," said Junko. "I guess that makes us friends now, doesn't it?"

"Sure, whatever," said Raimundo. "A friend of Danny is a friend of mine."

Danny soon realized that he never told the names of his other friends to Raimundo and Speedy. "Oh, yeah," he said and pointed over to the marksman, Wallop and blind girl. "This is Finn, Junko and Toph."

_"And don't forget me!"_ said JusSonic.

"Oh, of course not," said the halfa. He pointed over to his belt buckle and said, "And in here is JusSonic, a friend who's a ghost. Don't ask; it'd take too long to explain."

"Okay, that's great," Toph said in an apathetic tone. "Now that the introductions are out of the way, can someone explain how these two got here?"

"Ah, si, señorita," answered Speedy. "We are here because Señor Yen Sid told us to come help you."

Danny gave a confused glance to the mouse. "Really? Yen Sid sent you guys here?"

"Uh-huh," replied Raimundo. "You see, me and Speedy were just walkin' down the street minding our own business when this blue smoke just popped out of nowhere and nearly gave me a heart attack. It was then that the old wizard dude, Yen Sid, came out and explained what was up.

"He said somethin' about you guys bein' in trouble and Toon City bein' in some kind of danger…" The boy then scratched his head while he tried to remember the exact words of the wizard. "Well, I wasn't really payin' attention to what he said, but hearing about you needing our help was all I needed. So, naturally, I agreed."

"I could not stand by and let my amigo be in danger," said Speedy, "so I said si as well."

"Well, you guys really came through for us, and it's great that you're here," said Danny. "It's kind of a shame since the author of this story had originally intended Gabriel Belmont to help us out, but JusSonic gave him this idea instead. And I'm glad for the change."

(A/N: Gabriel Belmont is the protagonist in the game _Castlevania: Lords of Shadow_.)

"Well, we're here now," said Speedy, "and we'll help you in whatever way we can. Just say the word and we can have any bad things gone in the blink of an eye."

"But wait?" said Toph. "How did you guys get here in the first place?"

Raimundo smirked as he dug around his clothes while saying, "Yen Sid said he was gonna transport us here, but I told him it wasn't necessary." The boy had then brought out a set of three long golden blades attached together in a knuckle protector. "I used the Golden Tiger Claws to get here, which I just happened to have on me when the old man found us. I've also got other Shen Gong Wu that might be useful."

"You 'happened' to have them on you?" Speedy said suspiciously. "Don't tell me you took them from the Xiaolin Temple without Señor Fung knowing about it."

The only response from the teenage boy was putting his free hand behind his head and laughing sheepishly as sweat beaded down his forehead.

"All right, that's enough talking," said Finn.

"Finn's right," said Danny. "We've gotta meet back up with the others. We're supposed to find the source of Maleficent's power and destroy it before she ends up covering all of Toon City in darkness."

"I hope they're okay," said Junko.

"We won't know for sure unless we move," said Speedy. "So let's go!" Jumping up frantically, the mouse then shouted. "Yeehaw! Arriba, arriba! Ándele!" He then took off for the end of the hallway in a blur just as he had done before when dealing with Dash.

"Speedy! Slow down!" cried Danny. "None of us can run as fast as you!"

The others chased after the mouse and headed for the staircase in the adjacent room to find their friends, hoping that they were all safe. But to Danny, he knew that everyone was perfectly capable of handling themselves.

* * *

><p>Aerrow's group was now on the second floor of the castle. After running all the way from the hallway and up the stairs, they all just felt like lying down and soothing their sore muscles. But their minds were yelling to them that they could not stop to rest because they had to find the others.<p>

They had now come to a hallway with many doors lining the walls. Curiosity had filled their heads by what awaited them in the rooms should they enter them. But they knew from already seeing the horrors of the castle that it could not be pleasant.

"So, how long has it been since we've gotten away from Snipe?" said Stork. "I lost track of time when he tried to kill us back on the staircase. You should've just left me to die there; at least then I wouldn't have to worry about running around anymore."

"Will you give it a rest, Stork?" said Piper. "We're all in this together and we have to make sure that we all come out of it."

"That's what bothers me the most."

"But Snipe can't be much farther behind us," said Aang.

"I'm starting to think so, too," said Aerrow. The Sky Knight then scratched his head while he tried to think of a way for him and his friends to elude the beast. Looking around, he saw the many doors lining the walls, which suddenly gave him the realization. "Maybe if we went into one of these rooms, we'd be able to lose him."

_"Bad idea,"_ said BlueTiger321. _"We're talking about Maleficent's castle here. There could be anything behind those doors!"_

The hallway was then filled with growling and made everyone shudder with fright. To them it could only mean one thing: Snipe was getting closer.

_"On second thought,"_ said the ghost, _"your tactic sounds pretty good."_

Everyone then headed for the door closest to them to the right. Turning the knob, Aerrow slowly opened the door and let everyone else inside before he went in after them and shut the door.

* * *

><p>Farther down the same hallway, June's group was running down to escape from Jack after barely dodging him in the staircase. They were now going to get the chance to find their friends so they could continue their mission as one group to strengthen their odds of success. They had finally come to a stop just before they stood before a door.<p>

"Well, I'll be sure to always check every banister whenever I use stairs," said Sokka.

"Me, too," said June. "So, where do you think everyone is?"

Zuko glanced at the walls to see the doors sitting perfectly. "If I had to guess," he said, "they'd probably be in one of these rooms."

"But there must be thousands of them!" said Katara. "We can't possibly check every single one!"

_"I don't think we have much of a choice,"_ said Amber Pegasus. _"Jack will be right after us, so let's just pick a door and go in. We keep trying it until we find the others."_

The idea from the ghost seemed plausible to everyone else, so Zuko held open a door to let everyone into the room and then he followed after them and closed the door on his way. They, too, were doing the same thing as Aerrow's group and they hoped they would reunite with their friends soon.

* * *

><p>Danny's group was farther down the hallway from where June's group had entered the room. They were so far that they could not see their friends already leaving so they had no idea where they had left. Everyone stopped before a door and looked around in interest.<p>

"Whoa!" said Finn. "Now _that's_ a lot of doors."

"No kidding," said Raimundo. "Do you think Maleficent really needs this much space?"

"Who cares!" said Toph. "Let's just find the others and finish our mission so we can get out of this crazy place!"

"If you like, I could check every room by myself," said Speedy. "I can do it before you can say: 'Enchilada!'"

_"No way, Jose!"_ said JusSonic. _"We've gotta stick together, or else we could get seriously lost. And let's not forget that we still have to worry about Dash, Snipe and Jack."_

"Maybe you're right," said Raimundo. "Still, to check every single room would require endless patience."

Danny held open the closest door and directed everyone to go inside. "You wanna talk endless patience? June made me watch all five seasons of _Sex and the City_."

The others headed into the room, but Junko was the last one to enter as he looked at the halfa. "There are six seasons, Danny," he said.

Danny followed inside and shut the door before yelling, "Oh crap!"

(A/N: Just another _Big Bang Theory_ reference! XD)

* * *

><p>Aerrow's group walked into the room they had selected. All of a sudden, they stopped when they could feel their bodies sweating profusely as an intense heat filled the entire area. Radarr could already feel his fur sticking to his skin and he tried to dry it by blowing from his mouth, but his body heat was so high that no air was coming out; all he could feel was a sickly taste as his saliva had been dried up.<p>

"I'm thinking we stepped into Maleficent's sauna," said Aerrow while wiping the sweat off his forehead.

Everyone got closer to the centre of the room and they all paused when they saw the cause of the heat. The entire room was made of stone and in the middle was a large pool of lava that bubbled with intensity like a pot of boiling water. Several stepping stones went through the lava that ended at the other side of the room, and the group saw that at the far end was another door that could only mean the exit.

"Yeah," said Piper, "her _volcanic_ sauna!"

Aang got a look around the room to see if there was a safer way to cross the lava, but he ended up shaking his head in disappointment. "The ledges are too narrow for us to sidle our way out."

Stork gulped in worry over hearing those words. "You mean we're gonna have to take those stepping stones?" he said.

"It's our only option," said the Sky Knight. "Just keep hopping to the next one and don't look down."

Aerrow went first with Radarr clinging to his shoulders. Due to his training as a Sky Knight, he was able to leap across each stone with ease. Piper went next, followed by Aang and then the nervous Stork. The Merb carefully stepped across each stone while making sure not to fall into the molten rock. His nerves were so jittery that he felt like he had taken an icy cold bath.

Suddenly, Stork stopped on one rock when he saw a shadow being cast over him. He looked back to see the source, both feeling afraid and concerned for his life. What he saw made his pupils narrow: a huge mass of lava had risen and formed into a creature. On instinct, Stork did the only thing he knew in this situation: he screamed.

(A/N: Think of a smaller version of the Lava Titan from _Hercules_.)

The others heard the scream from behind and saw Stork frantically hopping across the stones away from the lava monster. Seeing the creature made everyone else open their eyes wide in shock and gave them the encouragement to follow Stork's example of running away. Stone by stone they each hoped while getting closer and the lava monster buried each stone underneath its massive body when it was gaining on the group.

"Not to sound demanding," said Stork, "but can someone get rid of that molten beast NOW!"

Aang had heard the call and decided to answer. Using his Airbending, he blasted himself to the roof where he was face-to-face with the lava monster. It bellowed before the boy and continued its pursuit. Aang then concentrated hard as he took in a deep breath that made his cheeks puff up so big like he had gotten the mumps. Once he was sure he had gotten enough air, he blew it out in front of the beast and sent it back to the other side of the room where it made a big splash and descended back into the lava pool.

The Avatar fell back down to join his friends as they all exited through the door and back into the hallway.

* * *

><p>June and her friends walked into a dark room. The darkness was so thick that no light from the outside could penetrate through the cracks of the door. It was as though they had all walked into a deep cave where there was no exit. As they walked the slow sound of their own footsteps clacked against the floor and bellowed throughout the room, which only heightened their nervousness.<p>

"Why is it so dark in here?" said Sokka. "You'd think for someone like Maleficent, she could afford to put up some decent lighting in her castle."

"Quit complaining, Sokka," said Katara.

"If it'll make him shut up about it," said Zuko, "I can light the way."

"Well," said June, "you should hurry up before we accidentally walk into—" At that moment, the girl stopped when she felt something sticky against her skin. It then made her close her eyes and sent shivers down her spine. "Aw, yuck!"

"What's wrong, June?" said Katara.

"I touched something gross! It kind of feels like—"

It wasn't long until Zuko created a flame in his palm that finally cast light into the room. June looked down and saw the sticky substance attached to her arm and noticed the intricate pattern and it seemed rather large. A nervous gulp went down her throat and she finished her sentence by saying, "—a spider web!"

The others all glanced around the room with unease taking hold of them. All over the room were numerous, gigantic spider webs covering every wall. By that time, June used her Te Xuan Ze strength to pull herself free of the web as she joined the others.

Sokka looked left and right for what had created them. "Man, I sure hope a tiny spider with some free time managed to create all these webs."

All of a sudden, a rustle came from the ceiling. Zuko pointed the flame to cast the light in that direction and what everyone saw there made them feel like they swallowed their hearts. Dozens of giant spiders were crawling down the webs, their eight eyes focusing on their targets and their fangs moving around in a ravenous manner.

"Do _they_ look tiny to you?" Katara snapped to her brother.

"Um, no, they don't," replied Sokka.

"Run!" shouted Zuko.

Immediately everyone hastily ran away from the spiders just as they crawled down their webs and landed on the floor where they made their way after the group. Shouts of terror came out of their mouths as they sprinted down the room to get away from the pursuing arachnids: the thought of being wrapped up in their webbing and having their own blood sucked out of their bodies was too frightening an image for them and they wanted to get out as soon as possible.

The group had come to the end of the room and looked around frantically for the exit. But the entire wall had been covered in spider webs and blocked it so they could not tell where it was.

"Now how are we supposed to get out of here?" said Sokka.

Katara saw the spiders heading their way and she already had a plan forming in her head. "Sokka," she said, "you look for the way out while the rest of us deal with them."

The girl's older brother nodded in approval and unsheathed his sword and hacked away at the thick webbing. Meanwhile, Katara, June and Zuko confronted the spiders to do battle. The Waterbender went first by bringing water out of her carrier and fashioning it into the Water Whip that she used to lash out at the spiders and made them back away.

Zuko directed his free hand at the spiders and blasted flames at them while keeping the flame in his other palm to light the room. Some of the spiders managed to feel the flames against their bodies and cried out in pain as they received the burns.

As Sokka was hacking away at the webs, he threw some of them out of the way and stuck his tongue out at how disgusting they felt. June saw the strands of webbing lying on the floor and picked them up. She then leapt into the air and landed on the back of one spider and used the webbing to tie it around the spider's head and rode it like a bull. The girl let out laughter as she used the spider she controlled to charge into the other spiders around her.

Eventually, Sokka cut through the webs and located the door. Grabbing the doorknob and pulling with all his might against the sticky webbing around it, he managed to get it open all the way. "I found it! Let's go!" he shouted.

The others all stopped what they were doing and ran for the exit. Sokka led them through and saw the other spiders already making their way after them, so he yelped in fright, went through the exit and sealed the door shut. The spiders tried to get through but their legs could not grab hold of the door so they let out cries of discontent when they had lost their meal.

* * *

><p>Finn walked by himself in the room that his group had chosen. He could not understand how the others had broken apart from him when they entered through the door but now he was feeling frustrated that he would have to find them as well as everyone else in the castle.<p>

"Man," said the blonde sharpshooter. "I never thought I'd be spending Halloween doing some dirty work. Next year, I'm just stayin' home and not lettin' anyone talk me into doin' anything."

Finn continued walking until he stopped and stared confusedly at what was up ahead. There he saw Junko standing upside-down before him on the ceiling. The Wallop appeared to be walking casually until he noticed Finn was before him and he, too, had the same quizzical look on his face.

"Junko?" said the marksman. "What are you doing on the ceiling?"

"Me?" said the Wallop. "I'm not on the ceiling, you are!"

Finn just rolled his blue eyes and put his hands on his hips. "Yeah, right! Like I would end up walking upside-down."

Just then, the two heard familiar voices and saw Danny and Toph walking down the side of a wall. Finn and Junko looked at each other strangely as they saw the halfa and the blind girl doing something unbelievable.

It was then that Danny looked at the Storm Hawks. "Huh?" he said. "How did you guys manage to do that?"

"Beats me," replied Finn. "But how did you two manage to walk on the wall?"

"Uh, are there rocks in your head?" said Toph. "We're not walking on a wall."

"Hey, what are you guys doing?" said Raimundo.

The others turned and looked to see Raimundo and Speedy walking up the side of a different wall. Everyone was getting confused by the whole idea and that's when Finn noticed that they had stepped into a room filled with stairs and doorways that went upside-down, right-side-up, and going along the walls similar to M. C. Escher's _Relativity_.

Finn let out an exasperated sigh and said, "This is gonna take a while."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Aerrow's group was now in another room that looked more colourful than the last one they entered. The floor was lined with red carpeting while the walls were painted a sky blue. Looking straight ahead, they all saw gigantic toys, including dolls, soldiers and jack-in-the-boxes. It was like a child's dream come true as all the toys moved around while jolly music played in the air.<p>

"What is this, _Toy Story_?" said Piper.

"I don't know," said Aang. "I guess this means that Maleficent does have a soft side."

But then the toys all stopped what they were doing and turned to face the group. Their eyes had then glowed red as though they had been possessed by a malevolent force. The toys all got in formation and marched towards the group, the soldiers pointing their plastic weapons and the jack-in-the-boxes springing out laughing with claws forming on their hands.

"Oh yeah," said Stork in an indifferent tone. "That went as well as expected."

Aerrow drew his daggers and ignited them while saying, "Guess it's playtime!"

The Sky Knight rushed in with the Avatar and the crystal mage following close behind him. On the other side, the toys still marched in rows and were getting ready to initiate their attack with the soldiers aiming their large rifles.

Aerrow was the first one to attack. Twirling in midair while concentrating hard, his body glowed in a blue aura as he raised his daggers over his head. The Sky Knight then brought his weapons down and seemed to grow a pair of wings. A large blue pulse of energy was then fired as Aerrow used his Lightning Claw technique. The pulse soared through the air and hit one of the soldiers to create a huge explosion that knocked the rest of them down.

Piper had rushed in to attack and she used the crystals from her pouch to turn the dolls facing her into dust. Aang followed up with fire revolving around his hands and he sent wave after wave of fire balls to melt away the plastic toys and change them into bubbling pools on the floor.

Everything was going well for the group as Aerrow slashed away with his weapons, Piper blasted with her crystals and Aang launched more fire. No one even seemed to notice shaking coming from behind, except for Stork and Radarr. The two quickly turned their backs and stood motionless in panic as the figure slowly walked up to them.

It was Snipe and he chuckled as he had cornered the helpless Storm Hawks. "Gotcha!" he said.

But Stork narrowed his eyes in anger. He was fed up with being so helpless that he was finally going to take action. The Merb quickly approached Snipe before the monster could do anything and he rose one of his three-toed feet. As soon as Snipe was close enough, Stork kicked the beast in his groin. What it did was make Snipe cry out in pain as he grabbed his aching crotch and drop to his knees.

"How d'ya like that?" said the Merb. Radarr had followed up by blowing a raspberry.

The others heard the commotion from the back and were stunned to see Snipe kneeling on the floor while Stork and Radarr ran over to join them.

"What happened?" said Piper.

"I showed him that I've got some serious cojones," Stork said smugly.

But Snipe was already getting back up and he was now fuming with anger for having been attacked in such a dirty manner. Before he could even approach the group, BlueTiger321 came out of the ring and directed his hands over to the brute. A blast of energy was shot by the ghost and sent Snipe across the room rolling on the floor. He stopped a few feet away and he looked up and gasped.

Standing over Snipe was another group of toys that all looked maliciously at him with their eyes glowing red as though they were bulls looking at a flapping red cape. The only thing Snipe could do was scream with fright.

"They're all yours, Snipe!" Aerrow called. The boy then exited with his friends out the door and back into the hallway.

* * *

><p>It was a perfect underwater setting with schools of fish swimming about without a care while colourful coral sat peacefully on the ocean floor. Suddenly, a door on the side of a rock was opened and out came June's group.<p>

Everyone was soon forced to hold their breath when they realized they were now underwater after going through another random door in the castle. The lack of air was soon getting to them as they swam around looking for the exit, and Sokka looked like his head was about to explode if he didn't get any oxygen in his lungs.

Katara could see that her friends were suffering, so she waved her hands around to begin her Waterbending. It was then that Amber Pegasus came out of the amulet and joined the girl in matching her movements. With the combined forces of Waterbending and ghostly powers, the two girls had spread the water out and created an air pocket around the group while on the ocean floor. Sokka was still swimming around when the air pocket was created so he fell flat on his face.

Everyone then took in a deep breath, feeling much better after getting fresh air in their bodies. The only things they had to worry about were finding the exit and getting their clothes dry.

"I never thought… I'd have to… take a swim… in this place," said June while taking in breaths.

"Me neither," said Zuko. "And I never expected to find something like this."

"Maleficent sure is one crazy lady," said Sokka. "Still, you gotta admire how beautiful it is down here."

Katara kept her hands moving around while pushing the water away. "We don't have time to enjoy the scenery," she said. "I don't know how much longer I can keep this up."

"Then let's find the other door and get out of here," said Amber Pegasus.

And so the group walked along the ocean floor with the air pocket moving along with them. Fish swam close to the giant pocket that made it seem they were all inside an aquarium. It was truly a sight to behold for each of them and they felt disappointed that the rest of their friends were not with them to enjoy the experience.

While they were all walking, four large tentacles came into the air pocket and grabbed them unexpectedly. The result was Katara losing her concentration and dissipating the air pocket as she and the others all yelled underwater and released air bubbles from their mouths when they were pulled in by the mysterious creature.

Amber Pegasus saw her friends being taken away and shouted, "No!"

The ghost watched as her friends struggled against the giant tentacles, but then her face was set into a scowl when she saw who was controlling them. In the ocean was Jack transformed into a giant squid with his own head sprouting six tentacles.

Jack let out a laugh as he held on tightly and saw his victims holding in their breaths, knowing it would only be a while longer until they could take no more and end up drowning. "Well, looks like you guys are 'washed up!'"

"That's an awful pun!" said Amber Pegasus. "And I won't let you hurt my friends!"

The bully turned to face the only free one and narrowed his eyes in anger. Reaching out his two free tentacles, he tried to grab hold of her only to watch them pass right through her body. Jack tried over and over again but the ghost only stood in her spot while she looked at her nails: the attempts to grab her were having no effect. It was then that Jack gave up trying and breathed heavily.

"Guess you forgot to take in account that I'm a ghost," said Amber Pegasus. Then, concentrating her powers, she directed her hands at her enemy.

Jack then shouted in fright as he was forcefully taken control by the ghost's telekinesis that she used to release her friends and wrap the bully's tentacles around himself. Jack tried to get free but the suction cups around his limbs attached themselves to his head and made it even harder to untangle himself.

Katara thought of creating another air pocket but knew that it would take a while and she saw her friends were already about to lose air. That's when she saw down below the other door standing by itself on the ocean floor. Holding out her hands and closing her eyes, the Waterbender focused her abilities and turned the doorknob using the water surrounding it.

The doorknob was twisted to its side and the door was opened. The result was water rushing through the entryway with the group of friends being pulled along with the current. They all cheered playfully as they went through the doorway and back into the hall while Jack also drifted with the current and his enormous head got stuck to stop the water from flowing.

"Of course," Jack said while rolling his eyes.

* * *

><p>Danny's group was already in another room and they were currently running away down a granite hallway as two enormous statues were chasing them. The statues appeared to be Greek soldiers with spears and shields carried in their arms. As they walked, their footsteps boomed throughout the room and shook the ground like an earthquake.<p>

Finn turned angrily to Junko while they continued running and said, "That's the last time I let you pick where we should go!"

"Sorry!" said the Wallop.

Raimundo kept running along with his friends but then stopped in his tracks. He knew that it was becoming of him as a Xiaolin warrior to run away from a battle when he clearly knew that he was capable of fighting. "I've had enough of this," he said.

Reaching into his clothes, Raimundo pulled out what looked to be a huge bronze gauntlet that would fit over the left hand. He placed it on the appropriate hand and waited for one of the statues to come over to him. A smirk slowly formed on his face when the statue raised its spear and lowered it down to crush the being that would dare face it in combat.

"Fist of Tebigong!" shouted Raimundo.

The Shen Gong Wu struck the tip of the spear just as the statue brought it down, and immediately the resulting vibration caused the entire statue to shatter. No longer able to support itself, the statue crumbled to pieces before everyone and ended up as a huge pile of assorted rocks.

Junko saw the bravery from the boy, so he looked at the remaining statue as his own courage started to fill up inside him. The Wallop then exhaled a mighty roar as he charged forth without igniting his Knuckle Busters towards the last animated stone soldier.

The statue saw Junko getting closer to it and it thrust out its spear several times only to see Junko's adrenaline surge even higher as he dodged every attack. He had eventually gotten to the statue's feet where he lifted up one of them while grunting with strain in his voice. The Wallop then used his behemoth strength to push the soldier down to the floor where it immediately shattered to pieces.

Everyone else saw that they were out of harm's way, so they walked up to the Wallop and the Xiaolin warrior to commend them for their courage.

"Nice one, Junko!" praised Finn. "That was some display of strength."

"It was nothing," Junko said modestly.

"No, amigo," said Speedy. "You strong like ox; that statue stood no chance against you. And that goes for my amigo, Raimundo, as well."

The boy put away the Fist of Tebigong and blew into his index finger like there was smoke coming out of a gun barrel. "Yeah, well, he had it coming."

Danny smiled at everyone, but then he saw that his ghost sense had once again gone off. Looking down as the mist passed over his mouth, he said, "What's going on here?"

All of a sudden, Dash had landed before the group and scared them all. They backed away in fright as they saw the bully laughing at them while slowly stomping his way in their direction. Now, he thought, he was going to exact his revenge for the way they had made him look so foolish earlier.

"This time," said Dash, "I'm gonna rip you all apart piece by piece! So get ready for a world of hurt!"

Speedy was the first one to take action. "You'll have to catch me first!" he said. "Yeehaw! Arriba, arriba! Ándele!" The mouse then did his usual routine of running so fast that he was practically a blur.

Dash saw the mouse run in circles around him and realized that he was the one who continually smacked him in the face back in the hallway. Smoke literally blew out of his nostrils as rage filled within his body and he tried to stomp on Speedy, but he was too slow and could not even get in a single hit.

"Stand still, you little twerp!" shouted Dash.

Finn and Toph saw that Dash was now distracted, so they took this opportunity to strike. The marksman got out his crossbow while the blind girl lifted the stones from the destroyed soldiers with her Earthbending. A volley of shots came to Dash's front while large pieces of stone came at his back.

Speedy saw the attacks coming and got out of the way. But Dash was unprepared for the numerous attacks and did his best to swat them away using his massive arms. Some crossbow bolts were deflected and some earth was broken but he still took some attacks to his chest and back and was now getting exhausted from the barrage.

The attacks had stopped and Dash was on his knees while panting hard. "All right!" he said. "Now I'm through playing around! It's time to get serious!"

Just then, Danny came up from the ground in his intangible state and went solid. Raising his fist in the air he shouted, "I'm already serious about taking you down!" The halfa then struck out his fist and floored Dash.

The bully was only unconscious for a few seconds before he got back up again. Even though he was being constantly assaulted, he still was not going to let the group get away. An angry grumble was all he could manage as he slowly got back on his feet.

"Tangle Web Comb!" shouted Raimundo.

Several strands then shot out to Dash and wrapped him in a tight bind with his arms to the sides of his body that forced him back onto the floor where he rolled around struggling to get free. Now he felt more infuriated for being trapped.

"Sorry," said Toph, "but we can't stick around to play. Right now we've got some unfinished business." The girl then ran off with her friends to exit through the door on the adjacent wall and back into the castle's hallway.

Shortly afterwards, Dash had used his enhanced strength to break away his restraints and stand up with his eyes looking extremely menacing. "You nerds are so dead!" he shouted.

* * *

><p>The three groups were now going in and out of rooms as time passed. Aerrow's group went out of one room and into another with Snipe in hot pursuit. June's group came out of one room and went down to the next room to their left just as Jack chased after them. Danny's group, meanwhile, paused after exiting a room and then ran to the room on the other side as Dash followed behind them. Even though they were all on the same floor, no one realized that they were so close to reuniting as they all exited at different times.<p>

Maleficent's castle continued to push their limits as the rooms held different secrets. Aerrow's group came out of one room with Snipe also running away as the head of a Tyrannosaurus rex roared and came out while snapping its jaw before the door closed on it. Jack came out a room with June's group chasing after him while they each rode a rhinoceros into another room. Danny's group and Dash all came out wearing figure skating outfits and leapt into the second last room on the left. It was now acting like a Benny Hill sketch from the way each group was running around the castle.

Just then, Danny's group—all back in their usual clothes—stopped in the hallway when the halfa brought up his arms. "Wait a minute!" he shouted. "This isn't getting us anywhere! We're never gonna find the others running around like this."

"You're right," said Junko. "But how are we gonna find 'em?"

Raimundo brought his hand to his chin as he thought about a solution. It then occurred to him that he had something that was handy for finding their friends. "I've got it!" he said. He then reached into his clothes and pulled out an object that looked like a metallic ocular lens in a bird-like shape. Placing it over his left eye the boy shouted, "Falcon's Eye!"

The Shen Gong Wu was activated by Raimundo's command and allowed him the ability to see through solid objects. He searched over every room trying to find the others while Danny's group waited patiently. Raimundo then stopped when he saw five figures about to come out of a room close to them.

"Here they come!" said the teenage boy.

A door then opened and out ran Aerrow, Piper, Stork, Radarr and Aang. When they were all safe, the Sky Knight quickly shut the door behind him and panted hard. He and the other members of his group were now covered in snow that they each dusted off once they had gotten back into the hallway.

"Aerrow!" shouted Danny.

The red-haired teen heard his name being called and saw Danny, Finn, Junko and Toph standing in the hallway with two others he didn't recognize. A smile came to his face as he had found some of his friends, and so they ran over to join the halfa's group.

"Am I glad to see you guys!" said Aerrow.

"We've been looking all over for you!" said Piper.

"So have we!" said Finn. "You would not believe what we've gone through."

Stork shivered while getting the last of the snow off his body. "Don't take this the wrong way, Finn, but I _really_ don't care."

Raimundo got everyone's attention by pointing to a door and shouting, "Here come the rest of them!"

The others all stared at where the teen pointed and saw June, Katara, Sokka and Zuko. Each of them were covered with green slime that slowed down their pace. After closing the door, June saw the halfa run up to her and embrace her in a hug.

"June!" said Danny. "I'm so glad I've found you!"

The Te Xuan Ze smiled back and hugged Danny as well. "I'm glad you're safe, too," she said. "But I don't think it was a good idea to hug me. Just look at yourself."

Danny looked down and saw that his clothes were now covered with slime that got transferred when he embraced his girlfriend. "Well, I know a quick way to get cleaned up. You and the others join hands."

The group did as they were asked and watched as Danny placed his hand on June's shoulder. Concentrating hard, he went intangible and passed on the power to everyone connected to him. The slime then went through their bodies and ended up on the floor in a huge puddle. Danny made everyone go solid again and saw they were now clean.

"Thanks," said Sokka. "That is _definitely_ one place I'll never go to again!"

"Into a giant monster's nose? Yeah, I wouldn't go there again either," said Zuko.

The others joined with them and rejoiced as they had now gotten back together after being separated. Now, they all thought, they could finally get back to what was important. But then, Danny saw that his ghost sense had once again gone off just when familiar laughter echoed throughout the hallway. It had then occurred to everyone that they were not done yet dealing with Dash and his crew.

* * *

><p>BlueTiger321: Oh man! That was some chase for everyone!<p>

Danny: But at least we're back together!

Raimundo: I hope we don't have to go through any more crazy stuff!

Speedy: Si, but that would make this story very boring.

Raimundo: Oh, yeah, right. In that case, bring on the crazy stuff!

BlueTiger321: Will do! Anyway folks, stay tuned when the group finally deals with Dash and his goon squad, which should produce some more hilarious results. So, until next time…

Danny, Raimundo and Speedy: Read and review!


	7. Chapter 7: Group Effort

Chapter 7: Group Effort

BlueTiger321: Hey, folks! I'm back with the next chapter. After a hectic chase, the group is together. Before I begin, I'd like to tell you all that I've decided to include a few surprises for this chapter. And JusSonic, I mean no disrespect but I have to ask you to stop giving me suggestions for the rest of this story. So, enjoy!

* * *

><p>The group gathered together while the sinister laughter kept ringing in their ears. After enduring such unbelievable challenges in the castle, they were now staring down their enemies for what seemed like their final confrontation. Separated they had felt weak, but together they knew that their limits knew no bounds and so they would gladly face Dash and his crew with an unyielding passion for victory.<p>

Aerrow had noticed the two newcomers to the group: a teenage boy who looked oddly familiar and a mouse pacing back and forth with what looked like the desire to run as fast as he could. The boy Sky Knight then saw they were right next to Danny, which could only mean that they were close to him. Even though there was a sense of danger to be had, Aerrow could not help but ask the halfa who they were.

"So, Danny," said the red-haired teen, "who are your friends?"

The halfa scratched his head while he looked at his other friends. "Oh, yeah," he said. "This is Raimundo Pedrosa and Speedy Gonzales. We know each other from JusSonic's story, _The Three Toon Caballeros_."

"Nice to meet ya," said the Xiaolin warrior.

"¡Hola!" said the mouse.

"Okay," said Sokka. "And exactly why are they here?"

"Well," said Finn, "apparently, our old pal Yen Sid thought we were in trouble, so he sent these guys here to help us."

"That makes sense," said Piper. "How else would they get here?"

June then got a look at Raimundo and Speedy and felt a warm smile come onto her face. The fact that Danny would have his own friends coming to everyone's aid was a joyous act and she truly had a grateful sense that things would go well for the group now that their numbers had increased. "So, they're your friends, Danny?" she asked.

"Oh yeah," replied the halfa. "We've been friends ever since that story, albeit not for very long. But still, the bond we share is just as strong as the one I feel with you, Aerrow and everyone else."

Raimundo looked at June standing close to his friend and arched his eyebrow in a sly manner while revealing a tooth-filled grin. The girl was obviously very attractive to him and he could not believe that she was close to Danny. But Danny got a look at the Xiaolin warrior and gave him an odd stare.

"What?" said Danny.

"So, is this the end of your ladies' man era?" Raimundo said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Ah, si," said Speedy, who also noticed the connection between the boy and girl. "It's nice to see you finally settle down with a beautiful young lady."

Danny could feel sweat beading down his forehead while he shifted his eyes around: hearing his friends talk about how he used to be in front of his girlfriend was rather embarrassing to him—he just wanted to die right there in the hallway.

"Uh oh," Aang said, his eyebrows moving in a playful manner. "It looks like they hit a soft spot."

June looked confusedly at Danny and his two friends, trying to figure out what they were saying. "Danny, what are they talking about?"

"Uh, well, you see…" Danny said. He paused right before what he was about to say as he stretched out his collar and let his body cool down. He then muttered under his breath, "Thanks a lot, you guys. Now June's gonna think I'm a pig or something."

"I couldn't resist," whispered Raimundo. "And you were practically asking for it."

Radarr wasn't paying attention to the conversation; he was busily looking out for the cause of the laughter. What he saw next made his eyes go wide in shock when three sets of eyes—one red, one purple and one yellow—appeared in the darkness. It then came to the furry co-pilot that that was where Dash and his crew were hiding. Radarr chirped for all he was worth to get everyone to look at the spot but they were all too focused on seeing Danny being humiliated to take heed of his warnings.

"Aw, c'mon guys!" said Katara. "We shouldn't be making fun of Danny, even if it is loads of fun." Despite the girl's maturity, she could not help but laugh.

Zuko laughed along with her and said, "Well, too bad for him that we all heard it, too. You'd think that we would back him up, but no."

"Oh, stop it," said Danny. "You know, the least you could do is give me the benefit of the doubt. Yes, I used to be a bit of a ladies' man but June made me give up on that lifestyle."

_"Well, good for you, Danny,"_ said BlueTiger321. _"It takes a lot of courage to admit that."_

"Thank you," said the halfa. "At least someone here supports me."

_"It's courageous, but I still think it's hilarious!"_ The ghost then laughed along with the others as did the other ghosts.

Danny narrowed his eyes in frustration and smacked a palm over his face. After all that talking he still was being made fun of by his friends and wished they would grow up. He was so upset that he did not even notice his ghost sense going off again like it had done so many times before mysteriously.

Suddenly, Radarr jumped onto Aerrow's shoulders and chirped loudly while pointing up a finger. It was so loud that the Sky Knight had to cover his ears just to keep himself from going deaf.

"What is it, Radarr?" said Aerrow.

The others all turned to where the little guy was pointing and they all froze in their spots to see that Dash, Snipe and Jack had appeared before them. Each of the bullies snarled right in the faces of the group and left them all with shaking knees. Their arrival was so unexpected that they were all too scared to react.

Dash bent down and got into Aerrow's face. After a few seconds of seeing him shake all over, he took in a deep breath and said, "Boo."

The call then gave the group the incentive to scream in fright and run in the opposite direction. Dash and his crew took joy in their misery and soon chased after them. Their laughter bounced off the walls as they each took marvel in causing the misery they had intended.

"Get ready, boys," said Dash, "'cause we're gonna smash those little pukes!"

"All right!" shouted Snipe.

"'Bout time!" said Jack.

The group continued their run down the hallway, feeling like they had nowhere else to go. But Aerrow refused to give up as numerous doors sped past everyone as they ran. He stopped in front of one and opened it all the way.

"Guys!" called the Sky Knight. "Maybe we can lose 'em in here!"

The others stopped and saw their friend was doing another crazy plan. After going through so many rooms in the castle, none of them were feeling very enthusiastic about stepping into another room since they had no idea what awaited them inside.

"Are you out of your mind?" said Stork.

"You really wanna go in there?" said Piper. "Don't tell me you've already forgotten what we've faced in every room we entered!"

"Yeah, this does sound pretty crazy," said Aang.

"There's no way you could convince me of going in there!" Sokka said while crossing his arms and shaking his head.

In that instant, roaring came from down the hallway, and everybody knew that it was Dash's group getting closer. They curved their heads to the side and saw them running in great strides and they would soon be on the group to tear them apart.

"Okay, you've convinced me!" said Sokka.

The group then hastily ran into the room with Aerrow being the last one to enter after closing the door behind him. Dash, Snipe and Jack had seen which room they went into and laughed as they all stopped before the door.

"Oh, they think they're so smart, huh?" said Dash. "Well, now they're gonna be hurtin' twice as bad!"

The trio of monsters then stepped into the room with their twisted thoughts of punishing Aerrow and his friends already forming in their minds. They closed the door and felt ready for whatever lied in wait.

Not long after, a figure stepped out of the shadows, which appeared to be a tall man dressed in a red and gold robe with a gray hood over his head to conceal his face. Sabatons adorned his feet while a large gauntlet was fitted on his left arm. His belt was loaded with equipment, including throwing knifes and vials, while a metal cross sat on his right side. The figure narrowed his eyes in anger when he saw supernatural beings tormenting the innocent and he was not going to allow the injustice to continue.

* * *

><p>The group had now stepped into a room and stopped when they noticed that it was completely black except for walls that appeared to be glowing bright pink, almost the same colour as the strand on June's hair. The walls seemed to turn at different corners like they were forming a labyrinth. But what really surprised them was that small yellow balls were floating in midair along the halls of the maze.<p>

"Huh?" said Aerrow. "What is this place?"

"It looks like a giant game of _Pac-Man_," answered Finn.

"Hey, it kinda does," said Aang.

Just then, they all heard growling coming from behind them and knew that Dash, Snipe and Jack were not too far behind. Although they were all feeling doubtful about going into the maze, they knew they had to go in for the sake of their own safety and of completing the mission.

"Hurry! Let's go!" shouted Danny after his ghost sense went off again.

Everyone ran into the maze with Junko being the only one swallowing up the floating balls like Pac-Man. While he did so, the Wallop let out the sounds, "Waka, waka, waka, waka!" before swallowing them in his stomach. Each member had then split into different directions with the intention of confusing their enemies.

Junko still ate the floating balls while saying, "Waka, waka, waka, waka!" Eventually he stopped when a piece of fruit had unexpectedly appeared in front of him. "Ooh, a cherry!" The Wallop then swallowed the fruit with gusto and resumed eating the floating balls.

But then Sokka came around the corner right in the Wallop's path while he was still eating the floating balls. The result was Junko swallowing his friend in one gulp, causing Sokka to scream with fright and made Junko pause at the accident he had caused. A gasp was all he could mutter while the others came to see what happened.

"Oh no! Sokka's dead!" cried Katara.

"I'm so sorry!" Junko said, his pupils appearing as big as saucers while he cried a river of tears.

The group looked down in sadness while they mourned for their friend, but then they looked up when they saw Sokka appear out of nowhere, smiling like nothing bad had ever occurred.

"It's okay!" said the teen. "I had an extra guy!"

The others all cheered with praise to see that their friend was all right. But their celebration was interrupted when Dash and his crew ran up to them all with wicked grins on their faces. Seeing as there was nothing else to do, the group then ran away with the monsters chasing after them.

(A/N: That scene is a reference to an episode of _Futurama_.)

While the group of friends ran, Junko was still acting like Pac-Man by eating up whatever floating balls were in front of him while shouting, "Waka, waka, waka, waka!" But then, the Wallop and the others stopped when they came to a corner with one ball that looked particularly larger than the others.

"Hey, you don't think…" said June.

Aerrow did know what it meant if this was anything like the actual game. With a smirk he turned to Junko and said, "Do your thing!"

The Wallop gladly went up to the ball and ingested it. Its power was then activated and turned Dash, Snipe and Jack blue, causing them to stop right before the group. The trio was confused by what happened to them but then they saw Junko look at them with hunger in his eyes.

"Get 'em, Junko!" said Toph.

"Don't go easy on them!" said Piper.

Dash knew what this meant, so after a nervous gulp he said, "Uh oh!" He and his friends then shouted and ran away with the hungry Wallop chasing after them.

Junko managed to run up to each of the bullies and chomp down hard, making the three of them disappear and re-appear in a separate room in the middle of the maze. Dash, Snipe and Jack all returned to normal after being eaten by Junko and being transported into the room. And by that time the others had found the exit and gotten back into the castle's hallway.

Dash fumed with anger and yelled while running out of the maze with his crew following behind him. After already being made a fool of multiple times, he was now going to inflict more serious pain on Aerrow and the others.

* * *

><p>The group of friends had entered another room in the castle's hallway. The moment they did, they all stopped when they realized that something was different about the way they looked. Their features were still the same, but now it appeared as though their bodies were made out of fabric while their eyes seemed to bulge out like they were domes. What was really surprising was that strings were attached to their hands while they all stood in front of a brick wall.<p>

"Uh, guys?" said Zuko. "What's going on here?"

"I don't know," said Danny, "but I think we've been turned into Muppets."

"Yeah, that would definitely explain this," said Aerrow.

Radarr, standing next to the Sky Knight, chirped in agreement as his mouth flapped open and close and showed his fabric tongue.

"How did this happen?" June said confusedly.

"It was probably when we stepped into the room," replied Aang.

"I kinda like this," said Junko. "I feel all warm and fuzzy."

"Si," said Speedy. "And now I know what it feels like to be three-dimensional."

Piper looked over to her right and gasped as she saw Dash's crew laughing and coming their way, and they too had their bodies changed to look like Muppets. "Okay, the time to think happy thoughts is over!" she said.

The others all looked Piper's way and saw that the crystal mage was right, so they all turned to their left and started running to the exit. Danny's ghost sense had once again gone off but he was too busy running in fear to notice.

"This chase is brought to you by the letter K for 'Kiss our butts goodbye!'" said Stork.

Dash, Snipe and Jack all laughed as they ran after the group on their fabric legs. They were close, they each thought, to attaining their revenge just as Maleficent had promised them. The only thing left to do was to hunt down the group and show them it was a bad idea to ever mess with them in the first place.

(A/N: I know it must be weird to picture everyone as Muppets, but please try to bear with me.)

* * *

><p>Aerrow and the others had now stepped into another room of the castle, and their bodies had changed back to normal after exiting the other room. Breathing heavily and feeling exhausted, they all stopped in the middle of the room. They gazed around to see that it looked familiar to the inside of a temple with large columns supporting the ceiling and a golden Buddha statue at the back, but they also felt suspicious about what might occur since it was in Maleficent's castle.<p>

"So what's gonna spring up and scare the living hell out of us this time?" said Finn.

"I don't know," said Katara. "This actually looks surprisingly nice. It must be one room that isn't meant to be terrifying."

"Looks like Maleficent made a mistake with this one," said Sokka.

All of a sudden, the familiar laughter of Dash, Snipe and Jack was heard, and Danny's ghost sense had activated once more.

"Why does it keep doing that?" said the halfa.

Dash got up front to confront the group while cracking his knuckles. "It's over, losers!" he said. "Why don't you just save yourselves the trouble and let us take you out of commission as quickly and painfully as possible?"

Aerrow looked at the trio with hatred in his eyes, feeling happy to oblige them with their request. "You know something? You're right!" he said. "It's time for us to stop running and face you off, 'cause I'm tired of having to run away when I have a job to do!"

All at once, Aerrow's friends nodded their heads and shouted, "Yeah!" to show they were thinking the same thing as him.

"Okay, then!" said Dash. "Prepare to get blown away!"

Raimundo was already taking action by pulling out three Shen Gong Wu from within his clothes: the Golden Tiger Claws, the Tangle Web Comb, and one that was a golden scimitar. Jack saw what the Xiaolin warrior was doing and intercepted by using his powers to stretch out his arm. What the bully did was end up grabbing the Tangle Web Comb while knocking the Golden Tiger Claws in the air.

Raimundo jumped up to grab the Shen Gong Wu, but Jack had also grabbed it at the exact same time by once again stretching out his hand. Suddenly, the Golden Tiger Claws started to give off a yellow glow that was bright enough for everyone to see. Both the Xiaolin warrior and the bully knew what this meant.

Raimundo landed on the floor to face the one who also held on to the Shen Gong Wu. "Jack, I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown. I'll wager my Sword of the Storm against your Tangle Web Comb. This will be a race: the first one to grab the Golden Tiger Claws will be the winner."

"You got it," Jack said in accepting the challenge. "With my powers to back me up, there's no way you're gonna win."

"Xiaolin Showdown!" they both cried in unison.

* * *

><p>A bright flash of light had enveloped the room. It was by the magic of the Shen Gong Wu that a Xiaolin Showdown had been initiated. The temple was now being changed right before everyone's eyes. Both Aerrow's and Dash's group stood still when the floor shifted under them to transport them into different areas while Raimundo and Jack stood side by side when a long path was being created before them.<p>

Aerrow and the others were together on a platform while Dash and Snipe were together on a separate one. Each side looked at the other with hate-filled eyes as they were forced to be spectators in the competition to decide the fate of the Shen Gong Wu.

The path continued to take shape until it eventually stopped with the golden Buddha statue at the end, and resting in its lap were the Golden Tiger Claws.

"Gong Yi Tanpai!" Raimundo and Jack shouted in unison.

The race began as both competitors ran down the path to claim their prize. On each platform, the two sides were cheering for their friend to win and get back to what was really important. Danny knew that Raimundo was going to win because he had faith in him and his abilities.

Jack looked to his right while smirking and brought out the Shen Gong Wu that was in his possession. Pointing it at Raimundo he shouted, "Tangle Web Comb!"

The strands from the comb flew at the Xiaolin warrior and he jumped into the air to dodge the attack. But then, just when Raimundo thought he had the advantage, an arm stretched out from the ground and snatched him before he could make his graceful landing. Looking down, he gritted his teeth to see it was Jack while using his powers.

"I knew you were gonna do that!" said Jack. "Thought you had me beaten, huh? Well, think again, loser!" Then with a cruel laugh, he flung Raimundo behind him and let him fall down to the path. Jack resumed his sprinting to end the race and get the Shen Gong Wu.

Raimundo got up after the fall and rubbed his aching side. The trick from Jack was underhanded but brilliant, and now he had to quickly think of a strategy. Just then, he heard shouting in the distance.

"C'mon, Rai!" said Danny. "I know you can beat him!"

"Si!" said Speedy. "You are the best! No one is equal to you!"

The Xiaolin warrior looked up to see his old friends, as well as his new ones, continue to cheer him on, which gave him a sudden rush of adrenaline. Raimundo stood up with a proud smile, feeling more confident than he ever did in his life, and he knew that he was going to win. He turned back to the path to see that Jack was almost within reach of the Golden Tiger Claws.

Jack laughed all the way up to the Buddha statue and then jumped up to claim the Shen Gong Wu and win the Xiaolin Showdown. It was a good feeling for him and he was then going to use his reward against the group to finally take them down.

"I don't think so," said Raimundo. Raising his Shen Gong Wu over his head, he shouted, "Sword of the Storm!" The sword was then spun around in front of the teen to create a tornado that sped all the way down the path.

Jack was about to touch the Shen Gong Wu when he was swept up by the wind. He looked down and felt panic rise within him as a tornado engulfed his body and carried him away from the Buddha statue where he fell down onto the path hard. Jack rolled around on the ground as pain wracked his body and he could only watch as Raimundo sailed over him using the Sword of the Storm and grab the Golden Tiger Claws to win the race.

* * *

><p>Another flash of light passed and returned the room to normal. Raimundo stood victorious with the three Shen Gong Wu in his possession. The others all cheered their way over to him in congratulations for winning against Jack just like they knew he would accomplish.<p>

"Dude! That was totally awesome!" said Finn.

"Way to stick it to Jack," said Zuko.

"You handed his butt to him on a silver platter," said Aang.

"I don't think I could've done it better myself," said June.

Danny patted Raimundo on his shoulder while Speedy jumped up and gave his friend a high five. "I knew you could do it," said the halfa. "You just had to believe in yourself."

"I never doubted myself for a second," said the Xiaolin warrior. "But it was Jack who underestimated me."

"Um, I hate to be the bearer of bad news," said Stork, "but it's not over yet."

The others could hear growling and saw Dash, Snipe and Jack tower over them all. All they could see on the bullies' faces was pure rage and it was definitely unpleasant for them to watch.

"You may have won the battle," said Dash, "but you lost the war! Now, we're gonna pull out all the stops!"

The trio then closed their eyes and concentrated hard on the power given to them by Maleficent. Their bodies then started to convulse after a few seconds and they shouted as if they were in extreme pain. All of a sudden, they spread out their arms and let loose multiple forms from themselves that looked exactly like them.

Aerrow and everyone else was forced to step back as they saw dozens of clones of Dash, Snipe and Jack appear before them within seconds. The room was getting crowded and the group of friends were feeling fear start to grip them if they were to face off against so many enemies.

The shifting then stopped and Dash's crew outnumbered the group by a large amount. The room was then filled with sinister laughter from the army of monsters as they faced their opponents with malice already going through their heads. It was as though the bullies were finally going to get their revenge.

"Any ideas?" said Piper.

"You mean besides begging for mercy?" said Stork.

The real Dash got up front and silenced the laughter behind him. Looking straight at Aerrow, he said, "Any last words?"

The Sky Knight thought that he and his friends were in a real bind when he happened to notice something coming down from the ceiling. With a smirk he said, "Uh, yeah. Duck!"

Dash and his army were confused by the statement when a figure jumped down to the floor and used a whip-like weapon on one of Snipe's clones to make it vanish in a flash of purple light. The figure landed on the floor in front of Aerrow's group, startling most of them, and removed his hood to reveal that he was a middle-aged man with brown hair reaching down to his neck, blue eyes and a brown goatee.

"Who the hell are you?" Dash said in a demanding tone.

The man looked at the beast and said in a Scottish accent, "I am Gabriel Belmont, member of the Brotherhood of Light and defender of the innocent. By my hand, I will make you pay for tormenting these people!"

Danny smiled after hearing the man's name. "What do you know? The author was able to work him into the story after all."

Dash snarled at the man for impeding his progress. "I don't give a damn why the hell you're here! If you stand in my way, then you're goin' down like the rest of these chumps!" With a wave of his hand, he said to his army of clones, "Get him!"

The beasts all converged on Gabriel, who stood still and held the Combat Cross in silent confidence. His weapon was then raised high and the top extended to form a whip. Gabriel then grunted with force when he lashed out his weapon that struck each of the clones and made them vanish in flashes of light.

Aerrow and the others were amazed by the strength and skill of this man and were lucky to have him on their side.

"Looks like he came at just the right time," said Junko.

"You can say that again," said Sokka.

"Shouldn't we try to help him?" said Katara.

"I think he's got this covered," said Aerrow.

Gabriel destroyed one of Dash's clones and then saw the rest of the army run towards him. He then closed his eyes and concentrated on his power. Instantly, the man was covered in a blue aura when he summoned the power of Light Magic. He got his Combat Cross ready and then spun himself around like a whirlwind with the lash extended and swung into the rest of the beasts. Immediately when their bodies made contact with the magic-infused weapon, their bodies disintegrated until there were only three left, which were the original Dash, Snipe and Jack.

The bullies stood dumbfounded when they saw that their army was gone and Gabriel stood before them when his aura had faded. All they could see in the man's eyes was fury and it left them all paralyzed with fear.

"Uh," Dash said with a pathetic smile, "you win?"

Gabriel shook his head, thinking that these creatures deserved no sympathy. He then raised his left arm and was glowing in a red aura as he summoned the power of Shadow Magic. Running forward and shouting with ferocity, the man struck out with his Dark Gauntlet and delivered a powerful blow to the bullies that sent them flying across the room until they hit the wall where the Buddha statue was sitting.

The others all cringed when they saw the trio being punished so severely by the man. Even though they all thought that Dash and his crew deserved a good thrashing, they never thought that it would be this bad for them.

"Now that's gotta hurt," said Aerrow.

Gabriel made the aura fade from his body and then turned to face the group. "Come on," he said. "Let's get out of here."

There was no argument from anyone, so they all followed the man out of the room from the other door and back into the castle's hallway. After they had all left, Dash stood up while feeling slightly dizzy. He gritted his teeth and flexed his muscles as he was sure that nothing was going to stand in his way from getting what he desired the most.

* * *

><p>BlueTiger321: Whoa! Now things are really starting to get interesting.<p>

Gabriel: Indeed, they are. And I must thank you for including me in the story.

BlueTiger321: It was my pleasure. After all, you are such an awesome character.

Toph: But wait a second! Isn't it kinda weak that you're just leaving it off like this?

BlueTiger321: Don't worry. The next chapter will be a nice touch to everything.

Raimundo: Well, I hope it ends soon, 'cause this suspense is killing me.

BlueTiger321: Anyway folks, stay tuned for the next chapter where we'll get a little insight from the newcomer, and we'll get to see what will happen to Dash and his buddies. So, until next time…

Katara: Read and review!


	8. Chapter 8: Turning the Tables

Chapter 8: Turning the Tables

BlueTiger321: All right! So Gabriel Belmont has saved the group from a horrible fate and now everyone is back to running away from the goon squad. And I really must apologize for this chapter because it's basically filler for what I've got planned in the later chapters. But I still hope you all like the outcome.

* * *

><p>Back in the castle hallway, everyone stopped to take a breath after running away once again from Dash, Snipe and Jack. It was now becoming a routine for all of them and they were definitely getting tired of it. They still had their mission to complete and they were not getting any closer with the trio constantly harassing them. If not for the valiant efforts of the newcomer, Gabriel, then they would have been at their mercy.<p>

Meanwhile the man looked at the group of children standing before him and he instantly felt sorry for them, thinking that they were prisoners trapped in the confines of the wicked sorceress's castle. But as a member of the Brotherhood of Light, he vowed to watch over the innocent and guard them from insidious forces lurking in the shadows. He placed his Combat Cross back on his belt and faced them with soft eyes.

"Is everyone all right?" said Gabriel.

Aerrow and the others all nodded at Gabriel once they had enough air in their lungs. Though not sure why the mysterious man had come, they were thankful that he was on their side and took care of the clone army just in time, or else they might have been overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the horde.

"We can't keep going on like this," said Piper. "There's got to be a way to take care of those guys."

"You seriously think we haven't been trying?" said Toph. "Newsflash: we have! But it's like no matter what we throw at those jerkwads, they just keep coming back for more!"

Finn pointed a thumb over to Gabriel and said, "Why don't we sick him on Dash? He handled all those clones without breaking a sweat."

"As much as I would like to help you all," said the man, "I am afraid that I have business I must attend to in this castle. It would be best for all of you to leave."

Aang shook his head at Gabriel. "But we can't leave," he said. "We made a promise to Yen Sid that—"

"Yen Sid?" Gabriel interjected. His eyes were wide in disbelief at the mention of the wizard. "How do you know Yen Sid?"

The others were all taken aback by the statement. It had never occurred to any of them that someone else might have known about the renowned wizard, but the way that Gabriel asked it made it seem like he actually knew more than he led on.

"How do _you_ know him?" said Raimundo.

Gabriel got in the middle of the group so all eyes were on him. "Yen Sid has aided the Brotherhood more times than I can remember. If not for him, then we would never have been able to accomplish so many of our own duties on the civilians we have sworn to protect. We are deeply indebted to him for all he has done." The man then took in a deep breath and exhaled through his mouth. "I have answered your question, now you answer mine."

Aerrow got up to face the man to respect his request. "Well, you see," he said, "a year ago we ended up going to a mansion that we didn't believe was haunted. But, as it turns out, it was haunted. We freed the ghosts living there that were being forced to haunt the place while freeing Yen Sid as well. We're here because Yen Sid sent us to stop Maleficent before she covers all of Toon City in darkness."

After hearing the explanation clearly, Gabriel nodded his head in understanding. "I see. Well, I am here to stop Maleficent as well. I commend you all for making it this far, but I cannot allow you to endanger your lives for a noble cause. It is because you know Yen Sid that I am concerned for you all, so I am asking you to turn back now while you still have the chance."

"But there's no way you can take on Maleficent all by yourself," said Katara.

"Young lady," said the man, "I'm with the Brotherhood of Light. We are specifically trained for these kinds of situations. I've already gotten here on my own, so I should not have any further trouble dealing with Maleficent."

Junko was the next one to speak his mind. "Can't you just—"

"No!" Gabriel retorted. "There is absolutely no way that you could hope to fight Maleficent. Now I believe that Yen Sid sent you all here because he had faith in you, but you have to be realistic. Maleficent is an all-powerful sorceress and she would destroy you the instant you faced off against her. So please, leave now and let me handle her."

The others all shook their heads in frustration when they saw that Gabriel would not listen to reason. His duty was making him extremely persistent and it was getting on their nerves.

"He's stubborn like a mule," said Speedy.

"No duh!" said Sokka. "He's bossier than me."

"He's bossier than you _and_ my crazy sister put together!" said Zuko.

BlueTiger321 decided to join in the conversation. _"Well, good luck with that, Gabriel, but we're probably just as stubborn as you."_

The man was immediately put on guard by the mysterious voice. With his hand over the Combat Cross he said, "Who said that?"

Aerrow showed the ring while it continued flashing. _"I did,"_ said the ghost. _"I'm one of the ghosts that these people freed in Black Manor along with Yen Sid. I believe in them because I've seen firsthand what they can do. Now you can keep going on about telling us that it's too dangerous but it's not gonna change a thing!"_

_"Yeah!"_ said JusSonic. _"We have a job to do and we're not giving up until it's done!"_

_ "We're doing this for the people in Toon City, and that includes you and Yen Sid,"_ said Amber Pegasus.

Stork smiled nervously while he looked at everyone else. "Um, not to interrupt this important conversation, but need I remind you all that we've got a band of maniacal thugs trying to pound us into oblivion and are probably approaching us right this second?"

_"I've been noticing something about them,"_ said JusSonic. _"They give off this familiar vibe every time they get close."_

Danny looked down at his belt buckle to speak with the ghost. "You too?" he said.

"What do you mean, Danny?" said Piper.

"Well, my ghost sense has been acting up lately. But it's always been right before we get attacked by Dash and his buddies."

_"Hmm,"_ said Amber Pegasus. _"Do you think it's possible that their powers are exactly the same as ghost powers?"_

_ "It's possible,"_ replied BlueTiger321. _"Yen Sid did say that black magic and ghostly powers are of the same origin, and Maleficent was the one who gave it to them."_

"And how is this supposed to help us?" asked Raimundo.

Aerrow thought hard about all the information he had just heard. If Dash and the others had ghostly powers, then they would be something similar to ghosts. It then dawned on him that they had something that was used to contain ghosts. Immediately he had a smile form on his face about how the group could use this knowledge to their advantage.

The Sky Knight looked at the ring and said, "Hey, BlueTiger321. Yen Sid made these accessories to keep you guys inside them, right?"

_"Yeah,"_ replied the ghost.

"So hypothetically, could any ghost get inside them?"

_"I suppose so. Why?"_ The realization then came to the ghost and he said, _"Oh, I see!"_

JusSonic and Amber Pegasus had also gotten the meaning of the question, and so all three ghosts ending up sharing a good, hearty laughter when they had already formed a plan.

"What's so funny?" said Finn.

"I don't know," said Junko. "Must be a ghost thing."

All of a sudden, Danny's ghost sense had gone off again, and the others all turned around when they heard angry breathing. There they all saw Dash, Snipe and Jack standing in the hallway. The trio looked at the group with spiteful glares as they stomped over to them, causing everyone but Aerrow and Gabriel to shake with fear.

"Okay! No more fooling around!" shouted Dash. "You little twerps are finished!"

With that, the three monsters ran towards the group with unyielding fury in their minds. The only ones who stood their ground were Aerrow with his arms crossed over his chest and Gabriel with his weapon at the ready. The bullies were getting closer and all shouted while bearing their fangs, but the Sky Knight held up his hand that made the trio stop as well as make Gabriel look confusedly at him.

"We give up," said Aerrow.

"What?" the bullies said in unison.

The others couldn't believe what they just heard. Here was the most courageous of them standing up to Dash and his crew and he was surrendering to them.

"Aerrow, what are you doing?" said Piper.

"Trust me," the red-haired teen whispered to his friends. He gazed back at Dash and continued to speak. "We're clearly no match for you guys, so please, go ahead and do whatever you want with us." He then looked over at Danny and June and gave them a wink.

The halfa and Te Xuan Ze were both perplexed by the action but then remembered the talk that their friend had with BlueTiger321. Like Aerrow, they also carried accessories used to contain ghosts and they realized that they had to play along with what the Sky Knight was saying.

"Oh, yes," said Danny. "Go ahead. We're not gonna resist anymore."

"We are completely at your mercy," said June. "But please, rush us all at once so you can get it over with."

Dash, Snipe and Jack all smiled in triumph when they found out that they had finally done it: they had won. They laughed and gave each other a high five before facing the group with fearsome smirks.

"Smart move," said Dash. "Now hold still, 'cause I wanna savour every moment of this."

All at once, the bullies jumped into the air and came back down shouting with the intention of crushing their foes with their bare hands. All the trials they had faced were finally worth this moment and they all thought there was nothing that could ruin it.

But Aerrow gave a tooth-filled grin to the trio and held out his hand. "Now!" he shouted.

Danny and June had then removed their accessories and held them out along with Aerrow right in front of Dash and his crew while they were still falling. The gems in each accessory then glowed and unleashed a tornado of energy relating to their colour. By the time Dash, Snipe and Jack realized they had been tricked, it was already too late. They screamed in fright as they had each been sucked into a tornado that led them into a different accessory.

The energies dissipated once the bullies were inside and the gems on each accessory was now a different colour: Aerrow's ring was a mix of blue and purple with Snipe inside, Danny's belt buckle was a mixture of light and dark green when it contained Dash, and June's medallion was pink and red when Jack was trapped within it.

The ghosts all laughed when a member of Dash's group was face-to-face with one of them.

_"Hello, musclehead!" _said BlueTiger321.

_"I've been waiting a _long _time to get this close to you!" _said JusSonic.

_"Now you're in big, big trouble!"_ said Amber Pegasus.

_"Wait!"_ pleaded Dash. _"Can't we talk this out?"_

All of a sudden, the accessories fell to the floor as they had unexpectedly moved on their own. Everyone in the hallway watched as the objects rolled around on the floor like Mexican jumping beans while they all heard noises as though a fierce brawl was taking place. The shouts of Dash, Snipe and Jack could be heard, which could only mean that the ghosts were overpowering them and there was nothing the bullies could do to escape. The group of friends all made cringing faces as they imagined that it was dreadfully unpleasant the way that their ghostly friends took care of the trio.

"Man, I wish we could see all the fighting going on," said Finn.

"We could," said Zuko, "but it would probably jack up the age rating on this story."

_"No! Please!" _said Jack. His plea went unanswered and he ended up emitting a cowardly scream.

A short while afterward, the fighting stopped and all three accessories lied perfectly still on the floor. The others waited patiently for what they would expect to be the winners of the battle to emerge. Then, out came the ghosts while carrying the bullies by the collars of their shirts. Every one of the beasts was now beaten and bruised in several places and they all saw stars spinning around their heads. The ghosts dropped their defeated opponents to the floor and took a bow.

Aerrow and his friends all cheered when they saw their ghostly friends were successful in dealing with Dash's group. They walked up to them to shower them with praise.

"Nice work, guys!" said the Sky Knight.

"Wow! You sure did a number on them!" said Piper.

"They probably won't forget about this any time soon," said Katara.

"If I was one of them right now, I sure wouldn't," said Danny.

JusSonic faced Aerrow and reached behind his back. He then got what he was looking for and held out his hand to the red-haired teen. "You might wanna hang on to this," he said.

Aerrow looked into the ghost's palm and saw the gemstone he had accidentally dropped and figured JusSonic acquired it during his fight with Dash. "All right!" he said as he took the gemstone back in his possession. "Now we can definitely face off against Maleficent."

"So what are we supposed to do with these losers?" said Toph.

At that moment, a green aura surrounded the bullies that made everyone step back. Aerrow and everyone else were confused by the sudden display and what might have caused it. They continued to watch until the aura burst into a bright flash and made Dash, Snipe and Jack disappear right before their eyes.

"I guess they had somewhere they'd rather be," said Raimundo.

"Or Maleficent is majorly cheesed off at them," said June.

"My money's on the latter," said Stork.

"Then it's time for all of you to leave right now," said Gabriel. "You got lucky this time, but don't expect it to work for you any longer."

Aerrow gave the man a disbelieving stare after what he just heard him say. "Even after you watched us take care of those three, you still don't think we're up for it?" he said.

"Then why don't we work together?" said Aang. "Maybe that'll prove to you that we're perfectly capable of handling ourselves."

"Sorry," said Gabriel, "but I still stand by the beliefs of the Brotherhood. And besides, I prefer to work alone." With his mind set, the man thrust the Combat Cross to the ceiling and activated it. The lash stuck to a ledge and allowed him to climb up the wall where he would progress to the next level of the castle.

The others all looked at Gabriel Belmont as he left them with his last words. They all thought he was a good man but they could not let him control what they were supposed to do.

"You gotta admire his tenacity," said Sokka.

The sounds of chirrups then got everyone's attention, and they all looked down to see Radarr pointing in the distance to show a staircase going up to the castle's next floor. A smile then came on to everyone's face as they knew they were finally done with having to run about the random rooms of the second floor.

"Yes! Now we're making progress!" said Aerrow. "Now, let's go pay a visit to Maleficent!"

The group all said, "Yeah!" in approval. The ghosts returned to their appropriate accessories with Aerrow, Danny and June reclaiming them and ran over to the staircase along with their friends. It was not long afterward that Danny noticed Raimundo and Speedy remained in the spot where they stood. The halfa looked at his two friends and wondered what made them so hesitant to join the group.

"Aren't you guys coming?" said Danny.

"I hate to say it," said Speedy, "but I think that Señor Belmont has a point."

"What?" Zuko said in disbelief. "How can you agree with him? We've come all this way to stop Maleficent, and now you wanna call it quits?"

"That's not what he meant," said Raimundo. "Speedy and I have been talking and we think that you guys should keep goin' while we head back to Toon City."

Danny shook his head, showing that he didn't want his friends to leave when they were getting closer to their goal. "Why?" he said. "You guys have been so helpful to us."

"Listen," said the Xiaolin warrior. "I think you guys can take care of yourselves from here on out. It's better for us to head back to the city and try to warn the people in the off chance that things take a turn for the worst. Remember: I can use the Golden Tiger Claws to get everyone to a safer place if it comes to that. But I know that you guys can do it."

Aerrow and everyone else standing next to him knew that what Raimundo was saying was right; he and Speedy were two of the few people who knew about the upcoming threat and they had to warn the people of Toon City about it. Danny, meanwhile, felt sadness fill up inside him about being separated from his friends, but he also knew that they had to leave to help out in what way they could.

"Okay," said the halfa. "Do what you need to do. If you believe in us, then we believe in you."

Raimundo and Speedy smiled and waved goodbye to their friends while the Xiaolin warrior got out the Shen Gong Wu he needed. Still, the two could not help but feel sad that they had to depart so quickly after everything they had been through with Danny and their new friends.

"Golden Tiger Claws!" shouted Raimundo.

The claws were swept through the air and their power was activated by the call of their name. A portal had then opened before the boy and the mouse, allowing them to step through to head for their intended destination. The portal then closed behind them and left the group alone in the hallway.

June walked up to her boyfriend and embraced him when she knew that he felt distressed. "It's okay, Danny," she said. "They're doing their job while we're doing ours."

"I know," said the boy. "And we can't stop now—they would want us to keep going."

"Then let's get on with it," said Aerrow.

A nod came from everyone as they all went up the staircase and towards the next level of the castle. Though smaller in numbers, they were still supported by their friendship.

* * *

><p>It was night time in the streets of Toon City. By that time the other portal created from the Golden Tiger Claws had opened up and out sprang Raimundo and Speedy. The two made a soft landing on the sidewalk just as the portal had closed behind them.<p>

"Okay, Speedy," said Raimundo. "Are you ready for this?"

"Si," said the mouse. "I'm always ready."

Just then, the two paused when they heard loud rumbling coming from down the street. The sudden noise had made them feel wary and forced them to think about what it was and if it was something worth avoiding. Not wanting to take any chances, they ducked into a dark alley and waited for whatever was coming their way to leave.

Raimundo and Speedy waited patiently for the origin of the noise to reveal itself and they were ready to fight it should the need arise. But then they both cast confusing glances when they saw that it was only bulldozers and cranes moving down the street.

"That's weird," said Raimundo. "What do you suppose their doing so late at night?"

"Beats me," replied Speedy.

The two were about to walk out of the alley when they heard maniacal laughter approaching. They then saw a man in a business suit riding in one of the bulldozers as it drove down the street. From their perspective, the duo thought the man was absolutely crazy.

"C'mon, boys!" said Russ Cargill. "We're almost at Black Manor, so let's put the pedal to the metal and smash it down good!"

The demolition vehicles continued their path down the street while Raimundo and Speedy watched them until they were too far away to be seen. What they just heard left them with stunned expressions.

"Did you hear that?" said Speedy.

"I sure did," replied the teen. "Didn't Danny say that his ghost pals were from Black Manor?"

"Si, he did. So what are we going to do?"

"We should warn Danny and his friends. Let's get over to Black Manor and wait for them to return."

Raimundo got out the Golden Tiger Claws once more and activated them to create another portal. Both he and Speedy jumped inside and headed for the place they knew was in danger of being demolished. The portal closed behind them and they hoped that their friends would finish their mission in time to return and find out what was transpiring.

* * *

><p>Maleficent had an irritable look while she sat in her throne. It was because of the failed attempts of her hired goons that made her extremely angry and she was going to show them what were to happen if her demands were not met. The evil sorceress looked down to see Dash, Snipe and Jack trembling in fear before her, knowing that they had all failed in keeping the group from going any further.<p>

"You worthless buffoons!" shouted Maleficent. "I give you a simple task with my own power to aid you and you could not eliminate the intruders! I should have known better than to put my faith in worms like you!"

"Please, give us another chance," said Dash. "We'll get rid of 'em, I promise."

"Silence!" shouted the woman. Her voice was so loud that it made the trio even more afraid for their lives. "I do not accept failure. And now, I will be taking back my power."

Maleficent held out her staff and made the orb glow, causing Dash and his group all to levitate before her as their bodies were covered in a green aura. Each of them was helpless against the power so all they could do was scream in fright. Then, a beam of light shot out from each of their bodies that went into the orb that continued for several seconds. The aura faded from their bodies and the bullies dropped to the floor. They looked over themselves and saw that their appearances were back to normal.

"Aw man!" said Jack. "And I was just getting used to my wicked powers."

"What's gonna happen to us now?" wondered Snipe.

"The same as I shall do to those pests and everyone else in your world," replied Maleficent. "You shall all be my eternal servants when I cast your city in darkness. You have just been on a fool's errand in order to make myself stronger."

Dash then got the meaning of the sorceress's words. With a wide-eyed look he said, "So, you mean…"

"Yes," she replied. "You three have just helped me to enslave you and everyone you know. And now, you shall not stand in my way."

Maleficent raised her staff and fired a green beam at the trio that made them all shout. The energy shifted around them and trapped them in a glowing sphere. They pounded their fists against the wall and screamed "Help!", but their cries fell on deaf ears.

The sorceress then turned to the shadows and said, "I am now counting on you to deal with our guests."

From out of the darkness, Maleficent's other follower made himself known by revealing his glowing yellow eyes and releasing a devilish laugh. "Oh, you can count on me, Master," he said. "I will make them relive their worst fears over and over again until they go mad with delirium! I will strike so hard that they won't even know what hit them." The man then revealed his right arm to show syringes attached to his leathery fingers that each contained a yellow liquid, and he laughed while taking great pleasure on what he was about to inflict upon the people who would dare challenge his master.

* * *

><p>BlueTiger321: Yikes! Now this is really getting scary!<p>

Stork: Then please make it stop!

BlueTiger321: No can do! It's just about to get interesting!

Raimundo: Hey! Why did you make to make me and Speedy leave?

BlueTiger321: Sorry, but it's something I've intended since the story began.

Speedy: Oh. That makes sense.

BlueTiger321: So folks, please stay tuned when our heroes go head to head against the unknown foe and stare down something they may not be able to handle. Until next time…

Raimundo: Read and review!

Stork: Can someone please tell me when it's over?


	9. Chapter 9: Worst Nightmares

Chapter 9: Worst Nightmares

BlueTiger321: Hello everyone, and welcome to another chapter of my Halloween story. So, with Dash and his goons out of the way, it looks like our heroes have a clear path to stopping Maleficent… Or do they? Read on and find out for yourselves. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>The group had reached the third floor of the castle. It, just like every other section, looked exactly alike with the black crystal surface and blue torches lining the walls. Everyone had previously gone through an extreme trial of having to get this far: fighting off Dash's group, encountering the unknown through the mystical rooms, and being criticized by a newcomer for not having the skills to accomplish what they set out to do. The night was becoming hectic for the group and they all had the feeling that it was only going to intensify as they got farther down their path.<p>

Everyone strode in silence down the winding hallway with the only sounds being their footsteps. The way that each sound was made when their heels clacked against the floor almost sounded like a symphony designed to terrify the mind, and it seemed to work as the group felt uneasy while making their way through the castle.

"I can't believe we've made it this far," said June.

"Yeah, and we still don't know where Maleficent's power source is," said Katara.

"It has to be around here somewhere," said Piper. "We've already checked every square inch of the last two floors and the dungeon, so it has to be on the upper floors."

"Are you sure the second floor even counts?" asked Stork. "I mean, it did lead us to a bunch of crazy-ass places."

"He's got a point there," said Junko.

"It doesn't matter," said Aerrow. "What matters is that we find the power source and take it out of commission before Maleficent casts the spell over Toon City. We might've been slowed down by Dash and his buddies, but it still hasn't deterred us from our goal."

"But how will we even know what it is?" said Aang.

_"Trust me, you'll know,"_ said BlueTiger321. _"You guys are as sharp as a tack so you'll know it when you see it."_

_ "Even we don't know what it looks like, but you'll figure it out,"_ said Amber Pegasus.

The group felt encouraged by the words of the ghosts. It was true that Maleficent's power source was a mystery to them but they would be able to find it if they did not waver from their quest. This had put them all in a good mood as they continued to walk down the hallway—and they would begin by keeping a sharp eye out for anything suspicious.

"Maybe you're right," said Danny. "If we just keep searching, we'll eventually find it."

"Who knows?" said Sokka. "It might even be in the place where we least suspect it."

"Or it could actually be close to Maleficent," said Zuko.

Once again, the group walked silently while paying attention to what was around them. It was rather peaceful since they had all defeated Dash's group, but nobody seemed to notice it, until Finn spoke up.

"Hey," said the marksman, "have you guys noticed that we haven't been attacked for quite a while?"

Toph then punched the blonde-haired teen in his arm and made him yelp in surprise. "Don't jinx it, doofus!" she said.

"What?" said Finn. "I'm just stating the obvious."

"Shut up, Finn!" said June. "We've got a good thing going here, so don't ruin it for us!"

"Are you guys really this superstitious?" said Sokka.

"Oh, we're dead serious," said Stork. "We are in a creepy castle, so let's not break our lucky streak. Before you know it, we might get sucked into an alternate universe or stare down the eye of a horrifying beast!"

"I think Stork may be on to something," said Aerrow while looking around the hallway. "It seems a little too quiet here."

"It doesn't mean anything," said Piper. "For all we know, it could be that we've just caught a break."

All of a sudden, everyone seemed to cough uncontrollably when they all breathed in a strange gas that came out from the walls. No one had expected it to come since it was odourless and colourless, and soon they ran away from the spot while trying to get some oxygen. They stopped as soon as they all took deep breaths and felt air through their lungs. They all had an odd impression of what the gas was and were questioning why it had come.

"That was strange," said Danny.

"What was that stuff anyway?" asked Toph.

"Don't know, don't care," said Sokka. "Let's just put it behind us and—" His sentence was cut off when he heard a scream.

Everyone turned around and saw June leap into Danny's arms while she was still screaming. Seeing her act so afraid had put them on guard for what might reveal itself.

"What's wrong, June?" said Danny.

The Te Xuan Ze pointed down to the floor after her screaming had ceased, and the others all saw it to be a cockroach crawling along the floor. Aerrow and the others gave June an odd stare over her irrational fear.

"_That's_ what scared you?" said Zuko. "A harmless, little bug?"

"Hey! They're creepy, all right?" June said to her defence.

Everyone rolled their eyes while Danny set his girlfriend back on the floor. But then they all saw a horrible sight: thousands of cockroaches were now crawling out from under the walls and climbed up to the ceiling. The group was speechless by what occurred before them, but June's body was shaking all over from having to see so many cockroaches move all around her. For the sake of wanting to get away and to make sure June wouldn't scream again, they ran down the hallway.

"What was that all about?" Finn said to Stork.

"How should I know?" said the Merb. "Does it look like I know anything about cockroaches?"

_"Cockroaches? What cockroaches?"_ said JusSonic.

"The ones that were crawling all over the place," replied Danny.

_"I didn't see any cockroaches,"_ said the ghost.

_"Me neither,"_ said BlueTiger321. _"Are you guys feeling all right?"_

Aerrow was wondering if he and his friends were all right. Something didn't add up to him: how could they see the insects while the ghosts could not? While he was mulling it over and running, he and the others stopped when they got to another section of the hallway.

Doors lined the walls and they all started flapping open and closed like they had minds of their own. Everyone looked around in fright as they all thought it should not be happening. What terrified them even more was that they could hear a voice whispering, _"Get out of here!"_ over and over again.

Everyone looked around wide-eyed as they all started to hallucinate. Their breaths had become shortened, they grabbed their hearts to feel them beating faster than usual, and they huddled close in a futile attempt to stay calm. It was as if they had all gone through a near-death experience.

_"Guys, what's happening?"_ said Amber Pegasus.

_"You're really starting to freak us out,"_ said JusSonic.

_"I don't think they can help it,"_ said BlueTiger321.

It was at that time that each member was going through his or her worst nightmare.

* * *

><p>Danny stood by himself in his human form in a dark area while standing in a lone spot under a light. The boy looked around confusedly by how he was all alone in a place that was not the castle. Already questions started forming in his mind: Where did his friends go? Where was he? What had made them all act so strangely?<p>

"Okay," said the halfa. "I don't know what this is but I should find everyone."

The boy was about to leave when he saw three people emerge from the darkness and stepped into another light spot. Danny felt a smile form on his face when he saw that it was his family: his father, Jack; his mother, Maddie; and his older sister, Jazz. He was a little perplexed by how they had arrived but it did not matter to him; all that did was seeing familiar faces.

"Mom! Dad! Jazz!" said Danny. "I'm so glad to see you. I need you to help me find my friends."

"Quiet, you monster!" said Maddie. She then reached into her suit and pulled out a handheld blaster. She aimed it right at the boy and fired a green laser.

Danny shouted and ducked out of the laser's trajectory. Now he was even more confused by his mother's behaviour. "Mom, what are you doing?" he said. "It's me, Danny, your son!"

"You are _not_ one of us!" said Jack.

"Our son would never be a ghost!" said Maddie.

"And we never associate ourselves with the likes of you!" said Jazz.

Danny couldn't believe what he just heard: his own family rejected him over being half-ghost, which, to him, was the worst thing he thought possible. He was even more shocked to see that he had somehow changed into his ghost form without initiating it.

"Huh? What's going on?" said Danny.

Jack, Maddie and Jazz then had blasters aimed at Danny. They looked at their target with hate-filled eyes when they charged their weapons.

"Prepare to be eradicated, ghost scum!" said Jack, his eyes glowing yellow.

The blasters were fired and Danny took the hits directly in his chest. He let out a painful scream as he felt the powerful blows while he could do nothing to stop them.

* * *

><p>June was standing on an open field next to a highway. She looked around strangely as the area seemed familiar to her. The way that the hills were shaped and their terrain stuck out in her mind like she had been in this spot a long time ago.<p>

"Where am I?" she said.

Turning her gaze, she looked to her right and saw a green highway sign that said _You Are Now Leaving Orchid Bay_ in white letters. It was then that she realized that it was the city limits to her hometown and where she became the Te Xuan Ze.

"What am I doing in Orchid Bay?" said June. "I've gotta go find my friends."

The girl rushed out of the city limits but then halted when she came in contact with an invisible barrier. Hastily she tried pounding her fists against the barrier to destroy it as she grunted with force, but in that instant did it become clear to her that she could not leave. It was the most horrifying realization to June when she learned that she could not leave Orchid Bay due to her status as the Te Xuan Ze.

"No! This can't be!" June said, her eyes filling up with tears.

Just then, the girl looked beyond the barrier to hear cruel laughter. A figure stepped out of the shadows and June immediately recognized it as her grandmother, Ah-Mah. To the girl, she could not fathom why her grandmother was mocking her by staying outside the barrier; she always knew Ah-Mah to be so gentle and supportive.

"Ah-Mah, what's going on here?" said June. "I thought that I was allowed to live in Toon City just like everyone else."

The old woman only let out more cruel laughter at the question directed to her. "Stupid girl," she said. "You can never leave here. You are to stay here and watch over it forever!" And with that, Ah-Mah left the girl and returned to darkness before her eyes glowed yellow.

June fell to her knees while tears cascaded down her cheeks. "No!" she cried as she was left all alone to be trapped in her hometown to fulfill her duty.

* * *

><p>Aang looked to see white space all around him while wondering where he was and how he had gotten from the castle to the unknown place. The boy then got a familiar sensation: it was as though his spirit had become separated from his body. He had done this many times before and it was nothing new to him.<p>

"I must be in the Spirit World," said Aang. "But I never initiated it."

"No, you didn't," said another voice.

The young Air Nomad looked up to see who was talking to him, and there he smiled when he saw an old man dressed in red clothing with gray hair and a long gray beard. Aang already knew that this was his previous incarnation, Avatar Roku.

"I brought you here," said the man.

"Roku?" said Aang. "But… why?"

"To punish you. You have turned your back on the world right in the middle of a war. That was very unbecoming of you, especially since you are the Avatar." Roku then stretched out his hands and revealed all of the past Avatars appearing above Aang and staring at him with scrutinizing glares.

Aang could not believe what he was seeing—all his past lives were chastising him over something that he did so long ago. "I couldn't help it!" he said. "I was young and I was scared! All that responsibility was being placed on me so quickly and I didn't know if I could handle it!"

"How selfish of you," said another voice.

The boy brought up his head when he heard the voice and knew from whom it came. There was another spiritual entity appearing before him who was dressed in Air Nomad attire and having a long gray beard and moustache. Around his neck was a beaded necklace with a large medallion that had the Chinese symbol of air carved into the centre.

"Gyatso!" said Aang.

"How could you run away, Aang?" said the man. "You deserted us in our time of need. And because of you, all the Air Nomads are gone! It's all your fault!" Gyatso then vanished before Aang in a cloud of smoke, leaving the boy to kneel while his head was wracked with guilt.

Roku looked at the boy with cold, yellow-glowing eyes and gave him a menacing scowl. "You don't deserve to be an Avatar; you don't even deserve to live!"

Every past incarnation then directed their hands at the boy and blasted him with Firebending. Aang could do nothing but let the flames incinerate his body and scream while he accepted his punishment.

* * *

><p>Katara stood by herself in the middle of a cold, barren wasteland with a few buildings made out of snow. To her it looked exactly like her home in the Southern Water Tribe, and yet she could not believe her eyes that she had suddenly arrived there from the castle.<p>

"What am I doing here?" said the girl.

Just then, Katara gasped when she saw that she was not alone, for in the village was someone else but all she could see was the person's back. She ran up ahead to see who it was, but then black snow began to fall out of the sky. The girl thought way back and remembered that it was just like the day when the Southern Raiders invaded her home and she lost someone very close to her.

When Katara was close enough, the individual in front of her turned around and she immediately let out a gasp. Standing before her was her own mother, Kya. The woman's soft blue eyes fell on Katara, which reduced the girl to tears to see that her mother had returned from the dead.

"Mom," said Katara. "Is it really you?"

Kya showed an expressionless face and nodded. "Yes, Katara, it's me," she replied. "And I must say that I am absolutely ashamed for what you have done."

The young Waterbender let out a gasp and then realized that her voice had changed. Her eyes gazed over her body and she saw that she had transformed into a little girl: the age when her mother died. "What?" she said. "Mom, what are you talking about?"

"I was all alone in those final moments," said Kya. "My own daughter ran away when I was about to be executed. I should've known that you never loved me enough to protect me." The woman then put her hands over her face and sobbed.

Katara was shocked to hear those words coming from Kya. She knew that she loved her very much and could not understand why her mother was blaming the girl for her death, but deep down she always felt that she was responsible. Shaking her head, Katara shed more tears. "No, that's not true, Mom. I love you more than anything. I wish I could've protected you."

The woman brought her head up and revealed that her face was gone and all that was there was her skull with the eye sockets glowing yellow. "Then why did you let me die?" she shouted.

Katara did not answer the question; she instead knelt down and cried.

* * *

><p>Sokka walked through a dark room with no clear indication of where he was or why he had arrived there. The last thing he remembered was everyone and everything acting bizarrely around him.<p>

"Okay," he said. "I don't know what's goin' on here but I don't like it. I better find the others and make sure they're all right."

The Water Tribe boy was about to leave when a light came on and revealed a single spot. Four figures stepped out of the shadows, and Sokka already knew that they were his friends: Aang, Katara, Toph and Zuko. It came as a relief to him to see that at least some of his friends were safe. With a smile, he walked over to his companions.

"Hey, guys!" said Sokka. "I'm glad you're here. Now whaddaya say we go find the others and get back to gettin' rid of Maleficent?"

In response, Aang, Katara, Toph and Zuko laughed at the boy with wicked smiles forming on their faces. Sokka couldn't understand why his friends were behaving in such a peculiar manner. His eyes shifted over them all while he gave them a grin to show how apprehensive he was feeling.

"Uh, what's so funny?" asked Sokka.

The others stopped their laughter and Aang got up first to respond. "We'd never be friends with a pathetic loser like you!"

"You've always been holding us back," said Katara. "If it wasn't for you, then we'd probably have saved our world much faster."

"You can't Bend, you can't come up with great plans; you can't even tell a funny joke!" said Toph. "We've just been patronizing you this whole time!"

Sokka was stunned by the hurtful words coming from his friends, especially by what his sister said. He had always felt like he didn't belong to the group by his inability to perform Bending, but to hear the painful remarks said by the people he cared about made him feel that he was never appreciated at all for his efforts. "How can you say that?" he retorted. "I've always been helpful to you guys. You couldn't—"

"Shut up," said Zuko. "We don't want you around us anymore. Why don't you go waste someone else's time, you freak?"

Aang sneered at the boy when his eyes began to glow yellow. "Now buzz off!" he said.

With that, Aang, Katara, Toph and Zuko turned around and walked away from Sokka while he dropped to his knees and shook his head in denial.

"No," said Sokka. "No, it… It just can't be like this!" But the boy knew that he was an outcast, so he dropped his head in shame as he sat by himself in the darkness.

* * *

><p>Toph walked along a dirt path, feeling nervous of how she had ended up in a place like this. She breathed heavily as her blindness had taken over—she could not even sense vibrations through Earthbending. It had always been a fear of hers that her blindness was a hindrance to her.<p>

"Oh man," she said. "I don't like this one bit. I can't see. I'll always be blind and there's nothing that's ever gonna change that!"

The girl kept walking just as wind blew in her face. But then she let out a horrifying scream when she fell. Thinking fast, Toph grabbed onto the ledge and tried to pull herself up but she was not strong enough and began to slowly lose her grip. She couldn't believe it: her blindness had been the cause of her death.

"Help!" cried the blind girl. "Please, someone help me!"

Toph's last shaking finger held on for as long as it could until she plummeted into the dark chasm and screamed all the way down. As she did so, a pair of glowing yellow eyes appeared out of the chasm that was coupled with sinister laughter.

* * *

><p>Zuko stood speechless when he saw that he was back in the Fire Nation palace. He walked into the throne room to see all the familiar columns, the mural at the back, and the throne sitting behind a wall of fire. There was no doubt in his mind; it was his home.<p>

"How did I get here?" said the teen.

"I'm wondering that myself," said another voice.

Zuko went wide-eyed when he recognized the voice; it immediately made him think back to the most traumatizing event of his life. It was during that time when the wall of fire was split open and out walked a man dressed in red clothing while wearing a golden hairpiece shaped like a flame. His black hair reached down to his waist while a long black beard stretched from his chin to his abdomen. It was Zuko's father, Fire Lord Ozai.

"Father!" Zuko said in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

"'What am _I_ doing here?'" said Ozai. "It's my kingdom! Have you forgotten that I banished you?"

"What?" Zuko heard the words but shook his head in denial. "No. You were defeated by Aang, and now I'm the Fire Lord!"

"Don't make me laugh! A worthless failure like you could never hope to become leader of a great nation!" Ozai then pointed an accusing finger at his son while he made the flames in the room rise by his command. "I was right to banish you. No son of mine could ever be so disgraceful! No matter what you do, you could never earn my love!"

Zuko shook his head and shouted, "No!" He then brought his hands behind his head and dropped to his knees. The thoughts of his father never accepting him had always haunted him, but he never suspected that they were true. Seeing it happen right before his eyes had made him feel like he was worthless.

"Your sister has always been my favourite," said Ozai. "And now, she will take care of you."

The teenage boy raised his head when he heard his father decide his fate. Out of the corner of his eye, he then saw a blue light, so he turned around and saw his sister, Azula. The wicked girl had lightning forming from her fingertips while her eyes glowed yellow. Then with a malicious grin, she directed the bolt of lightning at her brother.

Zuko took the attack in the chest and lay on the floor screaming when he was electrocuted and thought that it was worthy for someone as pathetic as him.

* * *

><p>Finn walked through a thick forest, feeling unusual about everything that happened to him. One minute he was in a castle; the next he wasn't. It did not add up to him and he was going to get to the bottom of it, even if it meant traversing through the forest to find the answers he sought.<p>

"Okay, now I'm _really_ gettin' freaked out here," said the marksman. "I just hope everyone else is doin' better than me."

After walking aimlessly through the forest, Finn stopped when he spotted a bright light in the distance. He got closer and saw that the light was being cast from a tall beacon tower. It took him a second but he eventually figured out where he had arrived.

"It can't be," said Finn. "Terra Atmosia? Okay, this does not make any sense."

But before the blonde sharpshooter could take another step, he clutched his sides when he felt a sharp pain from within his body. It was getting so intense for him that he was forced to drop to his knees. Finn then let out a howl when the pain got so bad that his body began to pulse. All of a sudden, the boy's clothes ripped apart when he had grown in stature. Finn watched as his skin was turning gray and yellow fur was growing in random places. He then felt his mouth grow out large fangs, his nose becoming a snout, his ears becoming elongated and being pointed at the top, and his eyes widening as they changed shape.

The transformation was complete and Finn checked himself over to see huge paws where his hands once had been. To make sure, he saw a puddle and walked over to it. What he saw in the reflective surface made him gasp: he had once again become the beast after the fateful time when he was infected with aggro-spores. From what the other Storm Hawks had told him, it was a horrific time to get him back to normal and he always feared that the beast still lurked deep within him.

The people of Terra Atmosia all gasped when they saw Finn appear. But this time Finn was completely aware of his surroundings and could see that they were all afraid of him. His ears were then filled with terrified screams as people ran away from him. The marksman-turned-beast tried to talk to everyone to explain he wasn't going to harm them, but all that came out of his mouth were growls that sounded nowhere near actual speech.

By then the villagers were taking a different approach. With torches and pitchforks, they all marched on Finn and chanted, "Kill the beast! Kill the beast!" One villager looked so intently at Finn that his eyes were giving off a yellow glow.

Finn knew that he could not hurt these people, so he willingly took their punishment on him because he felt that all monsters should be annihilated.

* * *

><p>Junko sat by himself underneath a starry sky in the middle of a forest. It was relaxing to him and it took his mind off his main concern about how he managed to arrive in that place from the castle and wondering if he would find his friends.<p>

"The stars are so pretty," he said.

"This is no time to be staring up at the stars!" said another voice.

The Wallop was brought back to reality by the booming sound of the voice. He looked in the direction from where it came and he was taken aback by the sight of the other figure. It was another male Wallop, just like him, only he was three times Junko's size with darker-tanned skin, a longer horn on his nose, gray hair and a gray beard. A plaid robe was around his massive body while he walked with such pride to show off his robust exterior.

Junko stood up and bowed in respect before the other Wallop. "Chief Thragg," he said. "It's good to see you again."

"Good," said Thragg, "because now it's time to battle." The Wallop reared back his fist and sent an uppercut to Junko who went flying away from the sheer power.

Junko screamed until he hit the ground where he tried to stand up, but the blow was so powerful that he stumbled upon when it felt like he had just taken a sledgehammer to his chin. "I don't understand," he said. "Why are you doing this?"

"Don't play all innocent on me," said Thragg. "This is a fight to determine who's the strongest. And I will not lose!" He once again balled his hand into a fist and sent a straight punch to Junko's face.

The Storm Hawks' strongman was sent into the side of a tree and knocked it down with his body. Junko did not get up but looked at Chief Thragg with a worried expression. He had faced off against the Wallop in a battle of strength before, but it was a long time ago and he thought that they had gotten past those differences when he saved his home from the Cyclonians.

"I… I can't fight you!" said Junko. "Fighting someone just to prove that you're strong is not who I am!"

Thragg towered over Junko with a face to show that he was insulted by the remark. "If you won't fight," he said, "then it proves that you are not a Wallop after all! You are, and always have been, a weakling!" The Wallop looked down at his opponent while his eyes began to glow yellow. "And the weak deserve death!" He then brought his hands together to form a giant mass that he swiftly brought down on Junko who could only lie down on the ground screaming while he would take what he deserved as a weakling.

* * *

><p>Stork felt like he was in Heaven as he had arrived on the one place he cared about the most: being on the bridge of his ship, the <em>Condor<em>. It was where he truly felt alive and protected ever since he stumbled upon the original model and took care of it for as long as he could remember. The many dials and switches in front of him were always in working order, and there was not a thing that passed through the ship that he did not know about for his eyes and ears were practically everywhere. He was feeling so light-hearted that he never bothered to ask why he wasn't with his friends in the castle, but then he dusted away the feeling and thought it was probably all in his head.

"Ah! It's so good to be back!" said the Merb. "I guess all that crazy stuff was just a bad dream. But, at least I'm back in my home where everything is perfect."

At that moment, the situation changed when the _Condor_ had suddenly exploded. The fiery destruction had spread out in an instant and catapulted Stork out from the bridge where he landed on the ground on his back. The Merb's body was now covered with soot from the explosion and he sat up ignoring the physical pain; the emotional pain was far worse.

Stork continued to watch his ship burn as the remnants fell to pieces, unable to support their own weight. He could feel his lower lip tremble like he was about to cry, but then he shouted as he saw a large metal piece fall right in front of him that had once been part of one of the large pontoons. On it was the blue Storm Hawks' insignia charred around the edges. Stork could not believe it; his home was once again gone.

"No!" said the Merb. "My baby! How could this happen to you?"

Just then, Stork could hear cruel laughter coming from behind him. His body went numb when he saw that it was a group of lizard-humanoids known as the Raptors. They were the ones responsible for destroying the old _Condor_ and they had destroyed the new one as well.

The Raptor leader, Repton, marched up to Stork with a wicked smile saying, "Oh, was that yours? Too bad! Looks like you're once again without your beloved ship! Well, gotta go!" Repton re-joined his brothers but not before laughing at Stork as his eyes gave off an eerie yellow glow.

Stork remained where he sat while he watched the fire continue burning away at what was left of the ship. He could not believe that he could let it happen again, and here it was: another ship gone for good. All the pressure on Stork made him think that he would never be worthy ever again to pilot a ship if they were only going to be destroyed right in front of him. So he lied down and let out horrified screams.

* * *

><p>Radarr had come into a darkened room with the only source of light being on the one spot where he stood. Moving his eyes around warily, he was preparing himself for what he thought was another dangerous trap about to spring loose.<p>

But then a sound echoed in his mind that he thought was only a memory. Chirping in question, he cocked an ear up to make sure that he wasn't hearing things. The sound came again and he immediately felt his teeth chatter when he knew that it was for real. Radarr didn't want to turn around but he did not have a choice.

His fears were proven true when he saw the one thing he was afraid to see more than anything else in the world: the hen that constantly stalked him. The hen let out a few clucks in a loving tone before winking at the little guy.

Radarr instinctively ran away, knowing that it was the most horrifying experience to ever go through in his entire life. He never really understood what the hen saw in him but he did know one thing: the hen was absolutely crazy about him. Though how crazy, he still didn't want to know.

The hen chased after Radarr and gave out various clucks and letting feathers fly everywhere, wanting so badly with the one she loved. To her it was going to be so romantic that she felt tingly all over just thinking about it.

Radarr looked back and chirped in fright when the crazed chicken was gaining on him no matter how fast he ran. He soon got more frightened when he saw that the hen's eyes were glowing yellow in her relentless pursuit.

* * *

><p>A deep breath was drawn and Piper got a look of her surroundings. She had somehow been transported to a rocky terrain with a deep purple sky that had lightning flashing between the clouds. How she had gotten there, she still did not know, but all she cared about was finding her friends and continuing their mission.<p>

"I don't like the looks of this," said the crystal mage. "It just gives off this creepy vibe, and I have a feeling it's only going to get worse."

"Don't say that," said another voice.

The girl sharply turned her back and let out a gasp to see who was speaking to her. It was a girl who looked to be the same age as Piper dressed in a violet robe with a silver emblem on her chest that depicted the Cyclonian insignia. Her short black hair complemented her purple eyes as well as the mole underneath her left eye. A smile formed on her face that looked rather psychotic and made the Storm Hawk feel tense.

"Cyclonis?" Piper said to the girl. "What are you doing here?"

A short chuckle came from Cyclonis while she stood in her place. "Oh, you know why I'm here," she said. "I've come to make you my confidant."

"What?" Piper actually felt so repulsed by the request that she thought she was going to vomit. Staring back angrily she said, "You must be out of your mind. I'd never join you!"

"Spare me your hypocrisy," said Cyclonis. "You and I both know that we're a lot alike; the power that you wield proves it. The Binding is the darkest art that a crystal mage can wield, and you've performed it like a true master."

Piper didn't want to believe it but she knew that her enemy was telling the truth; the Binding was something that only the most vile and ruthless are able to do. She looked down to see her hands shaking uncontrollably when she realized that her own power was something that made her evil.

"With you by my side," said Cyclonis, "we can conquer the world together. Now, embrace the darkness within you and let us usher in a new era!"

Without knowing it, Piper's clothes had changed to look exactly like the robe that Cyclonis wore. She could then feel an evil smirk forming on her lips as she would use her power to inflict pain and suffering on the innocent. "Yes, let's—"

But then Piper gasped and opened her eyes when she realized what she was about to say. Putting her hands to her ears and shaking her head she cried, "No! I'm not like you! I'm not like you!"

Cyclonis then exhaled laughter that got through to Piper despite her sealed ears and made the crystal mage scream with absolute terror. Through her horrified state of mind, she watched Cyclonis's eyes glow yellow.

* * *

><p>Aerrow looked around and saw that he was still in Maleficent's castle. The hallucinations he had witnessed earlier were strange to him and he wondered why they had happened when he was so close to finishing. Carefully he walked by himself down the hallway, hoping that his friends were somewhere near. He could not understand why they had split up but he would carry on with the mission even if it was the last thing he did.<p>

Up ahead was a green light, and the Sky Knight could only guess that it would lead to something critical to ending Maleficent's ambitions. His walk soon turned into a full run when he quickly got a rush of adrenaline. Aerrow could feel that it was going to end soon and he and his friends would return to Toon City just like he promised to them.

The red-haired teen had gotten to the end of the hallway and entered a room from where the green light was shining. He looked up and saw the reason why he had come, and she was standing before him.

"Maleficent!" shouted Aerrow. "I'm here to put a stop to your twisted plan, so get ready!" Drawing his daggers and igniting them, he pointed them at the woman with hatred in his eyes.

The sorceress then gave a short chuckle and raised her staff. Immediately the orb let out a green wave of energy that struck Aerrow and covered his body. The Sky Knight grunted as he was forced to drop his weapons and was levitated off the floor. Being under Maleficent's power, he then floated towards her until he was right in her face.

"Foolish boy," said Maleficent. "Did you really think you stood a chance against me? I am an all-powerful sorceress and you are a lowly, wretched vermin."

"I won't let you get away with this!" said Aerrow. "I may not be able to fight you, but my friends still can! With them at my side, there's no way that you'll ever win!"

The woman let out laughter in response. "Oh, my dear boy," she said. "I am afraid that I have already won."

Aerrow was then brought around to look behind where Maleficent was standing and what he saw made him feel like his heart had sank into his chest. Shackled on the floor were all of Aerrow's friends and they all looked up at the red-haired teen crying, "Aerrow, help us!" But Aerrow was restrained by the sorceress's power and could do nothing.

"No!" said Aerrow. "No! It can't end like this! I promised myself that nothing bad would ever happen to them!"

"Well, you should not make promises that you cannot keep," said Maleficent. "And now, you shall have the honour of watching me terminate them!" With wicked laughter, she then pointed her staff at Aerrow's friends and fired a beam that completely covered them.

The Sky Knight could only watch as the power faded, and what happened was that his friends had all been turned to stone. They each had terrified expressions formed on their faces that would remain that way to show what it was like for them in their last minutes. Aerrow shook his head in disbelief and knew that was Gabriel said to him was right; he was no match for Maleficent and now he would have to live with it for the rest of his life.

"No!" shouted Aerrow.

The room was filled with Maleficent's maniacal laughter while her eyes glowed yellow.

* * *

><p>Back in the castle, everyone continued to hallucinate while they all stood in place while shouting for their lives and waving around their arms. It was at that time the ghosts all exited the accessories.<p>

BlueTiger321, JusSonic and Amber Pegasus all looked concerned for their friends after hearing them say things that sounded like they were going through a horrible time.

"Guys! Snap out of it!" said Amber Pegasus. The ghost then had a disheartened expression on her face when she saw that nobody was responding to her. "It's no use!"

"What's happening to them?" said JusSonic.

"I don't know," said BlueTiger321, "but we better get to the bottom of it. I've got a feeling that they can't take much more of this."

Just then, the ghosts all stood still when they sensed an abnormal feeling in the air. Inspecting it closer, they determined that it was some kind of gas seeping from an unknown location.

"Oh my God!" said BlueTiger321. "This gas must be what's making them act so strangely."

A laugh was then heard in the distance behind Aerrow and the others, and the ghosts immediately took defensive stances. They all watched as a figure stepped into the light. It appeared to be a man dressed in ragged brown clothing. His eyes were kept hidden under a material placed around his skin that looked almost like burlap while a gas mask was placed over his mouth. On his right hand were four syringes attached over his fingers with tubing that went into four vials around his wrist that contained a yellow liquid. And around his neck was a rope fashioned into a loose-fitting noose.

"So," said the man. "It would seem that my fear gas has no effect on ghosts."

The ghosts looked angrily at the man and already deduced that he was the cause of what was happening to the group.

"Who are you, and what have you done to our friends?" BlueTiger321 demanded.

The man stood up straight and addressed the spirits. "I was once known as Dr. Jonathan Crane, but now I am referred to as the Scarecrow. And as for your friends, they are now experiencing their worst nightmares for real thanks to my fear gas. It causes them to hallucinate until they will be stark-raving mad! And judging from how they've reacted, I'd say that will be very soon." He then let out another laugh to show him taking great pleasure in the misery he caused.

Hearing the explanation had filled the ghosts with rage. Seeing someone make their friends live their worst nightmares was absolutely despicable and was nothing even close to what they did back when they were cursed.

"Damn you!" BlueTiger321 said angrily.

"Let them go!" said Amber Pegasus.

"I promise you that this won't end well!" said JusSonic.

The ghosts could not take it anymore—they needed to help their friends. They all grunted while they were getting ready to fly into their enemy and exact their wrath upon him. But Scarecrow already lifted up his right hand and pointed the needles at his closest victims, causing the ghosts to gasp and lower to the floor.

"Not another step!" said Scarecrow. "I've got enough fear gas to drive thirty men insane. When I unleash it on your friends, their minds will shatter like glass." The man then reached behind his clothes and pulled out a glowing green orb that he threw onto the floor.

The ghosts all watched as they saw the object roll past them and then stop. They were not sure what it would do but they looked carefully at it for anything out of the ordinary. In an instant, the orb expanded before them until it was bigger than all of them.

"What the hell is this?" said JusSonic.

"That is where you will all enter, if you want me to spare your friends," replied Scarecrow. "My master had anticipated that you would try to intervene, so she handed it to me in order to stop you once and for all."

"That's impossible," said Amber Pegasus. "How did Maleficent know about us?"

The man let out a scoff after hearing the question. "Oh, how naïve are you? Did you really think you would remain undetected? My master has always been aware of your presence. There's nothing in this castle that she does not know about. If even the slightest object moves out of place, she will always be the first one to know. Now, back to the matter at hand: enter your prison, or your friends will suffer."

The ultimatum was given and the ghosts looked at each other with saddened expressions. They knew there was no way they could get to Scarecrow in time before he would unleash more of his gas on them, and the spirits could not risk having them take any more stress. With reluctance, they all floated into the orb and were instantly sealed inside.

"You win," said BlueTiger321. "Now let them go!"

Scarecrow formed a smile underneath his mask. "How noble of you all to sacrifice yourselves for your friends' safety," he said. "And how gullible you are for believing me!"

The man then raised his right hand and stuck his syringes into the necks of every member of the group and injected more of the liquid form of his fear gas. They all let out screams as their worst fears had become intensified.

The ghosts saw they had been double-crossed and there was nothing they could do to stop it. BlueTiger321 and JusSonic angrily pounded their fists against the wall of the orb while Amber Pegasus tried to reach out as she cried, "No!"

Scarecrow then let out a laugh that was true to a psychopath. He had finally fulfilled his master's wishes and he would be able to instil fear on his victims.

* * *

><p>It was now completely dark as Scarecrow emerges to face the reader while his eyes glowed yellow. Spreading his hand over the screen he said, "And at the end of fear, oblivion!" before returning to the shadows.<p>

A box then appears at the bottom of the screen that shows the words _Retry_ and _Quit_. After a few seconds, the author selects _Retry_.

* * *

><p>BlueTiger321: Holy crap on a stick! If I wasn't scared before, I certainly am now!<p>

Scarecrow: It will only get worse from here on!

June: Please, someone help us!

Danny: I can't take this anymore!

BlueTiger321: Don't worry, guys! In the next chapter, everyone will go through Scarecrow's world to try and conquer their fears. And just so you know, the Scarecrow in this story is the same one from _Batman: Arkham Asylum_. So, until next time…

Scarecrow: Read and review, or perish!


	10. Chapter 10: Mental Battle

Chapter 10: Mental Battle

BlueTiger321: Well, it looks like things aren't going well for our heroes. With Aerrow and everybody else hallucinating from Scarecrow's fear gas and the ghosts trapped inside a magic prison, what's going to happen? Let's find out!

* * *

><p>Aerrow could barely open his eyelids, and even so his vision was blurry. The last thing he remembered was watching his friends being turned to stone by Maleficent and then he suddenly blacked out. The pain in his head felt like someone took a hammer and chisel to his skull so he rubbed his temples to relieve some of the agony. He could not believe what he just saw: his friends were gone and it was all his fault. As leader of the group it was his responsibility to see that his friends would be all right, and he failed them.<p>

Rubbing his eyes and getting to his feet, the red-haired teen looked around him and saw that he was still in the castle. The familiar crystal halls had not changed but he couldn't understand why he was feeling such a cold wind blowing through his skin and ruffling his hair. Perhaps, he thought, it was something that the evil sorceress decided to be his fate: to spend the rest of his days wandering around aimlessly with the thought of his friends being trapped forever in stone haunting his mind. He felt like he deserved it after what he had been through in the last few minutes.

But then, Aerrow perked his head up when someone called out to him. The voice sounded like one of his friends, but he knew that it could only be a memory. All his friends were now statues and it was a permanent part of his mind.

The boy's vision became clearer and there were several figures standing before him—it was all of his friends. From where Aerrow was standing, everyone had a saddened look on their faces like they had just gone through a horrible experience. Aerrow already knew what it felt like: seeing all his friends turn to stone was the one he experienced. But the reason why they were all standing before him perfectly normal was still a mystery.

"Guys," said the red-haired teen. "Thank God you're all okay! I was totally shocked to see what Maleficent did to you."

"What did she do to us?" asked Piper.

The boy was about to say it, but then decided it would be best if it was never spoken for their safety and for his. "Never mind. So, where are we anyway?"

The others were beginning to wonder themselves about their location. Looking around with an inquiring glance, they saw that it was something familiar to Maleficent's castle, but a cold wind kept blowing in their faces. The reason was because the floor was floating over a swirling gray abyss below them as the path spiralled upward. Several sections of the wall and the floor seemed to have been torn down as the path continued until it ended at the very top where a single platform stood with a searchlight pointing to the sky.

"I don't know what this place is," said Aerrow, "but I can't stand to think of waiting around for something to happen. Let's get moving."

The command was given by the Sky Knight and he walked forward, but he soon noticed that no one was following him. It was strange for Aerrow because he always knew that his friends would be willing to join him in whatever he suggested, so he moved his eyes over to where they stood and saw their petrified expressions.

"What's the point of going?" said Danny while holding his arms and looking down in shame. "My family hates me. I should just give up."

"If I go, then I'll probably be stuck watching over Orchid Bay again," June said with a single tear rolling down her cheek. "I don't want that to happen!"

"I'm such a coward," Aang said while shaking his head.

"You're better off not taking me along," said Katara, also shedding tears, "because I might cause your death as well."

"Why should I go?" said Sokka. "I'm already useless as it is anyway."

"I'm blind," said Toph. "Why would you need me?"

"I'm a failure," said Zuko, "and there's nothing that's ever gonna change that!"

"You should just leave now!" said Finn, his eyes shifting back and forth. "I don't know if I can keep this thing inside me any longer!"

"I'm a weakling," said Junko.

Stork sat on the ground with his arms around his body as he rocked back and forth. "No more _Condor_," he said. "What's the use? There's no other reason to live."

Radarr chirped as he continued looking over his shoulder in case the crazy hen would come back. Every time he did he found nothing, but he couldn't let down his guard for one second for he knew that was when she would strike.

"Aerrow," Piper said gloomily, "I've got darkness brewing within me. I don't want to end up causing any pain, especially to everyone I care about. I think that it would be in everybody's best interest if I were to leave right now and never return."

The behaviour coming from his friends had put Aerrow in a quizzical state of mind. Judging from what they had said, he figured that something truly terrible must have happened to each of them if it left them with such low morale. But he was not affected this way; seeing them all safe gave him a new sense of direction and he was going to see to it that his friends were just as determined as he was.

* * *

><p>Scarecrow continued to laugh maniacally as he continued to watch his victims suffer the effects of his fear gas. The group stood in place with their eyes open and their pupils dilated while they all underwent the hallucinations, but the way they were all groaning showed how troubled they all felt while their minds were going through the deadly phases. It was what Scarecrow had always lived for, to see innocent people struggle as their worst fears plagued them to no end.<p>

The vile man turned to the ghosts to see them looking unpleasant and figured it was like adding insult to injury after deceiving them. "I hope you're enjoying the show," he said. "In a few moments, your friends will be going through my world. And when that happens, I will crush their minds and they will be no more!" Another laugh came out of his mouth as he turned his back to the spirits and began the next phase of his plan.

BlueTiger321 continued banging against the wall of the magical prison trying to escape but to no avail. "Leave them alone, you bastard!" he furiously shouted.

The shouting did not deter Scarecrow from his task; he stood proud and took delight in facing his victims to finish them off.

The ghosts huddled close together and tried to think of a solution to save their friends before it was too late.

"What are we gonna do?" whispered JusSonic. "We're trapped in here and we can't get to them."

Amber Pegasus thought about it for a moment and then it came to her. Hearing about Scarecrow talk about what he intended for them was something that she and her ghostly companions could do as well. "I think I've got it," she said.

"What's your plan?" said BlueTiger321.

"Scarecrow said he was going to face off against our friends in their minds, right? So, if we can combine our powers together and concentrate real hard, we should be able to establish a telepathic link with everyone and warn them."

JusSonic smiled when he heard the plan and said, "I think it's worth a shot."

BlueTiger321 smiled at the girl for her ingenuity, thinking it was something they could do. "All right," he said. "We better work fast. I don't know how long we can keep up our power going past this prison."

With their goal set, the ghosts formed hands together in a circle and closed their eyes while focusing all their power. If it was going to work, they had to tell everyone that what they were going through was a subterfuge and only they could get themselves out.

* * *

><p>Back in the minds of Aerrow and his friends, they were still in a great state of depression and thought that nothing was going to save them. All of a sudden, three lights began to emerge in front of them. The lights were faint and took a while to materialize, but eventually everyone got a clear image of what was appearing before them.<p>

JusSonic, Amber Pegasus and BlueTiger321 stood before the group with confident expressions on their faces as they were going to explain what was really happening.

"Guys," said Aerrow. "I've been wondering what happened to you."

"Do you know what's happened?" said Katara.

The ghosts were about to speak when they noticed that their telepathic images were flickering, which meant that they could not stay for very long.

"We better make this quick," said BlueTiger321. "Listen, you're all seeing an illusion."

"What?" said Finn. "Could you go into a little more detail?"

"You're all under the effects of Scarecrow's fear gas," said Amber Pegasus.

"He made you all see your worst fears," said JusSonic, "and he's trying to use them against you. You're in his world now, but you can't let him take control."

"Are you going to help us?" said Danny.

BlueTiger321 was about to speak when his and the other ghosts' images flickered again. When they were solid once more he said, "I'm sorry, but we're trapped under Maleficent's power. The only way you're going to get out of this is if you conquer your fears. Remember: none of this is real. If you work together and stay focused, you can beat Scarecrow."

All at once, the images of the ghosts faded away and left their words of wisdom going through the group. Alone again, the group of friends were left speechless. What they had each gone through felt so real to them, and to hear from their ghostly companions that it was an illusion was quite a shock.

"Was that for real?" said Zuko.

"I believe so," said Aang. "But how do we get out of here?"

"We're just gonna have to do as they said," replied Aerrow. "We have to face our fears."

The Sky Knight then walked off in the direction where the path led up and this time he was glad to see that his friends were joining him. They all went up a flight of stairs and were about to walk across an open path when they all stopped as the entire area had begun to rumble.

"Now what?" said June.

The others then noticed a large figure coming up from the abyss, and so they all instinctively hid behind a wall. The large being towered before them and they all saw it was a man dressed in brown ragged clothing with four syringes on his right hand. As he stared at the path around him, his eyes gave off an eerie yellow glow that looked oddly familiar to everyone and his gaze was focused as two beams of light were directed on the path.

"That must be Scarecrow," whispered Aerrow.

"Yeah," said Finn, "and he sure is one butt-ugly dude!"

Scarecrow's voice boomed throughout the area as he laughed. "Welcome to my world, kiddies!" he said. "Hope your enjoying your stay, because you're about to experience your worst fears over and over again until madness takes over!"

Still keeping to the shadows, the group gave the man a revolting stare after hearing his speech.

"If you see the word 'pretentious' in the dictionary, there's probably a picture of him," said Sokka.

"How are we supposed to get past him?" said Piper.

Aerrow watched as Scarecrow kept looking around the path while laughing. It was then he realized that his line of sight was probably only focused on the beams of light he cast from his eyes. The many walls dotted all over the path should provide ample cover, he thought, and it seemed like the best option for avoiding him. As the boy Sky Knight still kept looking over the path, he eventually stopped at the end where the searchlight shone to the sky and figured that was where it would be the end.

"Just stay out of sight," said Aerrow. "We need to get up to the top and shed some light on this façade."

Scarecrow's gaze had passed over the path before the group, so they all quickly ran out of the way and hid behind another wall before the giant came back. A sigh of relief came out of everyone as they narrowly dodged the light, but then a bright flash came and they had each unexpectedly transformed to look like Scarecrow. The flash came again and they had returned to normal.

"What's the matter? Chicken?" said Scarecrow.

None of them decided to answer, so they continued down the path, keeping low on the walls to avoid being seen. It was then that they were forced to climb a ledge to the next level in order to keep progressing. Once they had gotten there, they still kept to their strategy by staying behind walls and in the shadows.

Right before they were about to cross a gap, Scarecrow had brought his head over the section, causing everyone to hold back a gasp in surprise when he was so close to them. The man looked back and forth but still could not see any of them as they all stayed with their backs against the wall and their hearts beating a mile a minute.

"Olly olly oxen free!" Scarecrow said tauntingly. The man saw that none of his victims were in sight so he moved on to the next section.

"Now's our chance," whispered Aerrow.

The group then one by one jumped across the gap to the other side. They were all doing well until it finally came to Radarr. The little guy was shaking all over with nervousness at the thought of being seen by Scarecrow. On the other side, everyone else encouraged their friend to come over before Scarecrow came back.

"Hurry, Radarr," said Piper.

"It's not that far. You can make it!" said Aang.

"C'mon, Radarr! He's coming back!" warned June.

Radarr looked up and almost chirped in fear when he saw Scarecrow was turning back around, which meant he would be spotted if he didn't move. So, with courage in his heart, he leapt across the gap and was immediately grabbed by Aerrow just before the man's gaze moved over the spot.

Scarecrow gave an odd stare when he thought he saw something. He got a closer look while the group moved on to the next section. The man let out a grunt of anger when nothing was in his sight, but he soon smiled as an idea came to mind.

After climbing up the stairs to the next level, the group of friends stood before a long path with a high wall on the outer edge while the path itself led to another ledge up where the searchlight stood on the platform. They all showed looks of joy to see that they could safely move to their destination without Scarecrow seeing them.

"This is it," said Danny. "Now let's show this fruit loop what we're made of!"

Everyone nodded to agree with the halfa as they made their way down the path. All of a sudden, they all stopped when they saw Scarecrow's right hand reach over the wall and stick the syringes into the path. When he was done, he pulled up the syringes to unleash several forms come up from the floor that revealed themselves to be an army of skeletons. The boney figures looked around with some of them armed with metal spiked rods.

"Find them!" said Scarecrow.

The skeletons followed their master's order and rushed down the path only to spot the group several seconds later.

Aerrow and the others were a little startled at first, but they gladly rushed in to battle with their weapons drawn or getting ready in a battle stance. With quick speed, the Storm Hawks took down the skeletons they faced with either a blast, slash or blow with their crystal-powered weapons. Danny used his ecto-blasts against several skeletons while knocking away others with his fists. June fought through the wave she faced with fighting prowess, and one skeleton tried to club her from behind but she immediately countered by grabbing the rod and swinging it into her foe's skull. The Avatar and his companions all used their Bending abilities or sword skills that dispatched the last of the skeletons until there was nothing left but a huge pile of bones on the path.

"Chica-cha!" said Finn.

"Let's get outta here before they pull themselves together," said Aerrow.

Nobody argued with their friend's suggestion, so the group all ran over to the platform that led to the searchlight. Climbing its ledge, they all waited until Scarecrow's gaze passed over it to make sure it was safe to go. The yellow beams of light left the spot, and so everyone quickly got up and ran for the searchlight. This was it, they thought. They would finally end the nightmare and regain their sanity.

But then, Scarecrow quickly turned around and looked at the group on the platform, causing everyone to scream in alarm and stay in their spots just inches away from the searchlight.

"Fools!" said the man. "This is _my_ world, so I make the rules!"

Scarecrow then slammed his fist down onto the platform and made the entire area shake. Everyone screamed in terror while trying to stay still, but the violent shaking and their own fears of what the man was about to do to them made it hard to keep them from feeling scared.

The area changed shape and everyone fell on their backs. Scarecrow had converted the path into a ring that revolved around his body with a metal fence lining the inner edge. The platform containing the searchlight was whisked away from the group where they all looked up to see Scarecrow laughing down on them as he mocked them for their failed attempt at escaping.

"And now," said Scarecrow, "prepare to face your greatest fears once again!"

By his command, Scarecrow spread out his arms to make the manifestations of their worst fears materialize right in front of them. The sight was horrid for everyone to see and they all felt like screaming out with fright, but a realization came to each of them: being afraid is just what Scarecrow wanted from them and they were not going to give him the satisfaction.

"Do you feel it?" said Scarecrow. "That's your fear eating away at your mind. Let it consume you, for there is no way out! You're all mine!" The speech ended with a cruel laugh as the forms he conjured advanced on the group.

Aerrow remembered the words of BlueTiger321 while looking directly at the form of Maleficent. _"The only way you're going to get out of this is if you conquer your fears,"_ he remembered. It kept going through his head until he narrowed his eyes and stood up straight.

"I'm not afraid," he said.

Scarecrow looked down at the Sky Knight with a raised eyebrow. "What?" he said.

"I've got no reason to fear. I know that we're going to win against Maleficent, because I'm always there for my friends just like they're always there for me. Our friendship is our bond and nothing could ever break it!"

Everyone then looked on to see that the form of Maleficent disappeared instantly the moment that Aerrow showed his courage. The display put everyone else in a high-spirited mood, so they were going to follow their friend's example and face their fears.

"I know that I have a dark power," said Piper, "but I use it for good! And that's what makes me different than someone who would use it for evil!"

"I know that my family loves me," said Danny. "And if my parents ever found out about my secret, I know they would support me no matter what."

"I may have been trapped in my hometown," said June, "but it doesn't matter anymore, because now I'm able to perform my duties in a place with people I care about by my side!"

"I may have run away from my responsibilities before," said Aang, "but I've accepted them now. So I have no reason to think that anybody should ever judge me for my actions!"

"The beast I used to be is long gone," said Finn. "It's who I am now that matters."

"I don't have to prove my strength to anyone," said Junko. "Whether they judge me or not doesn't matter; what matters is how I see myself."

"My mother sacrificed herself to save me," said Katara, "which shows how much she loves me. What happened to her was never my fault, and she knew that I loved her, too."

"I am an important part of my group," said Sokka. "In my own special way, I'm able to contribute something that I know they would appreciate me for."

"I'm always gonna be blind," said Toph, "but it's never slowed me down. I'm able to work around it and I can handle myself and help others without any problem."

"I've stopped trying to be something I'm not," said Zuko. "Right now, I'm being the kind of person I want to be instead of letting someone else decide my fate."

"And as for me," said Stork, "my home may have the tendency to suffer horrible destruction, but that doesn't mean I should just throw in the towel. It just means that I have to pick up the pieces and start over."

Radarr was the last one. And to prove that he wasn't scared, he gleefully chirped and ran up to the hen to embrace her with a huge smile. But before he was within reach, the image of his fear faded and he ended up falling on his stomach. The little guy sat up dizzily and watched along with everyone else to see their fears disappear.

"What?" Scarecrow shouted in disbelief. Seeing his victims conquer their fears so quickly—especially with all the fear gas he injected into them—was horrendous to him and made him furious. "No! You shouldn't be able to do this! Your fears should be destroying you!"

"Well," said Danny with a smirk, "I guess that you didn't figure that we'd be so strong-minded!"

The man looked down at the group and gave out another one of his sinister laughs. "Well, you may have conquered your fears, but you're still going to have to go through me if you want to get out. And I'm not going to make it easy on you!"

Aerrow drew his daggers and ignited the blades. With narrowed eyes, he looked up at Scarecrow and said, "Bring it on, douchebag!"

Scarecrow then thrust his right hand to the floor and summoned more skeletons. The first ones to react were Piper and Aerrow: the boy faced the enemies, and the girl brought out her crystals to aim at her teammate.

"Diamond's Edge!" shouted Piper.

A blue light sped towards Aerrow that surrounded him with power. He held out both his hands as they were encased with a large mass of jagged diamond. During that time a group of skeletons advanced on the Sky Knight, and so he rushed in with his diamond mass extended and used it to smash into the skeletons. When the group of enemies was gone, the power from the boy faded and his hands returned to normal.

The Avatar's group was the next to face off against a horde of enemies: Aang sent a powerful air blast into a group of skeletons, Toph raised crystal stalagmites that broke up another bunch, Katara fired a large stream of water from her carrier that washed away her foes, Zuko spread out his arms and unleashed a wave of fire to reduce his opponents to cinders, and Sokka used his sword skills to slash away at each skeleton's joint until they ended up as a big pile.

It was then that a large skeleton had risen from the floor and it roared furiously at its closest target: Katara. The young Waterbender saw it was too late as the huge enemy was already coming towards her at full speed and she had no time to defend herself.

But Sokka bravely stepped in front of his sister with his boomerang held out. The boy threw his weapon directly at the enemy's skull, causing the boney figure to cover its face while it continued running. Sokka had then grabbed his sister and the two rolled out of the way just in time as the large skeleton ran straight into the wall and was broken into pieces.

Katara looked at her brother with a wide smile. "Thanks, Sokka," she said. "I'm glad to have you around."

Sokka smiled back and had a good feeling grow inside him when he saw that he was useful after all.

Finn and Junko had also joined in the battle with the marksman blasting down his targets with shots from his crossbow and the Wallop charging on his opponents with his Knuckle Busters. The two were a fabulous team when put together and they both smiled at each other and laughed playfully.

Stork had unknowingly taken part in the battle. A skeleton with a spiked rod came up to him with its weapon held high, and the Merb could only shout in fright and hold up his hands to defend himself. Before the skeleton attacked, Radarr had jumped onto it and rode it through a crowd of other skeletons. The furry co-pilot kept his paws over the skeleton's eye sockets and caused it to flail its weapon around that struck down the other skeletons. It eventually came to the point where Radarr could no longer ride it and so he chirped, leapt off and let it slide right into Aerrow's path where he sliced through it with his daggers.

Danny and June formed a team with the halfa flying around and the Te Xuan Ze holding on to his hand. As soon as they came into a group of skeletons, Danny lowered himself and let June unleash a flurry of kicks on their foes. They had come so fast that the battle was over within seconds, so they landed on the floor and cheered at their accomplishment.

Scarecrow grumbled with anger when he saw that his tactics were failing. "Is that how you want to play?" he said. "Well, I'm game!" Then without warning, he slammed his hand down onto the path and knocked everyone off their feet.

Aerrow had fallen down to the sideways and managed to look far in the distance from behind where Scarecrow stood. There was the searchlight still pointing to the sky and casting its light. The red-haired teen then figured that he still had to get up to the searchlight if they were ever going to escape from the battle so they could truly deal with Scarecrow.

"Guys!" said Aerrow. "Keep Scarecrow distracted! I'm gonna make sure that he sees the light!"

The others all nodded in understanding and set off to do their own thing. Piper and Finn both got their weapons ready and fired blasts at Scarecrow, causing the man to cover his body to protect himself. Eventually he was getting tired, so he narrowed his eyes and raised his right hand with the intent of crushing them to stop the barrage of attacks.

But then, an ecto-blast was fired at his face that almost made him stumble backwards. Looking up, the man saw Danny flying through the air with his right hand extended and smoke coming out from his palm. June was joined with him, and she leapt off to land on Scarecrow's left shoulder.

"Get off me!" shouted Scarecrow. He brought up his right hand and tried to swat away the girl.

June ducked in time to avoid the giant hand and then grabbed onto the noose around Scarecrow's neck. Using her enhanced strength, the girl brought the noose over the man's head and began to swing it around like a lasso. She waited until Scarecrow brought his hand back and so she flung the noose and got it through the hand where she pulled tight on the rope.

Scarecrow tried to pull himself free but could not match the strength of the Te Xuan Ze. At that moment, June pulled hard and made Scarecrow's hand continually smack his face.

"Why are you hitting yourself?" June said playfully. With each pull she made to make Scarecrow's hand smack his face, she shouted, "Why? Why? Why?"

The man then shouted with fury and used his other hand to grab June, forcing the girl to scream as she was trapped in Scarecrow's grip. "I've got you now!" he said.

June struggled to get herself out but Scarecrow kept pushing his fingers against her and caused her intense pain. A laugh came out of Scarecrow's mouth as he thought he would squeeze so hard that the girl's head would go flying off her body.

Just then, the man was forced to drop his captive when he was blasted with all four elements and energy pulses coming from the path that were fired by the Benders and the Storm Hawks. June kept falling and screamed all the way until she was picked up by her saviour, Danny Phantom. The halfa held his girlfriend in his arms while flying to safety.

"Titanic save, Danny! Thanks!" she said and hugged the boy's neck before joining their friends.

As everyone was doing battle with Scarecrow, Aerrow managed to fly up to the searchlight by opening his battle glider and letting the wind currents carry him up to the platform. He made a soft landing and looked at the searchlight with determination. _Here goes_, he thought.

The Sky Knight immediately ran to the searchlight and tilted it towards Scarecrow while shouting, "Let there be light!"

Scarecrow heard the shout and turned around only to find it was too late; the light was cast on him and he was immediately swathed in the brightness. "No!" he shouted as the area was also bathed in a bright flash.

* * *

><p>Back in the castle, everyone had finally snapped out of their hallucinations. They were all glad to be back to normal after their experience with their worst fears, but they had all managed to conquer them and felt stronger than ever. Now, they each thought, there was nothing that could slow them down.<p>

"We're back!" said Piper.

"Yeah," said Finn, "and we're not alone."

The others all looked and saw Scarecrow backing away from them. He looked absolutely afraid for having failed in defeating them and knew there was no other way since he was practically defenseless before them.

"No!" shouted the man. "It can't end like this!"

Scarecrow had unknowingly backed into Junko where he yelped and was held still by the Wallop when he grabbed the man's arms. Scarecrow tried to break free but was no match for Junko's strength. He could only watch as everyone else advanced on him with hate-filled eyes. After what he did to them, he imagined that they were going to do something far worse to him.

Zuko already came up with an idea. Getting close to Scarecrow and grabbing his right hand, he said Junko, "Can you let go?" The Wallop did as he was asked and allowed Zuko to take control. Looking straight at Scarecrow, the Fire Lord then said in an angry voice, "Now, let's see how _you_ like it!"

With great force, Zuko thrust the syringes into Scarecrow's body and injected him with fear gas. The man let out a terrible cry as he experienced his worst fears.

* * *

><p>Scarecrow stood by himself in a dark room under a single light, looking around with anxiety. He had failed his master and he thought that she would not take it lightly with him. The man tried desperately hard to please the person he served under, and all his efforts would be for naught when he was to face her and explain what went wrong.<p>

Just then, another figure stepped forth and revealed herself to be Maleficent. The evil sorceress looked extremely displeased at her servant for what had happened. "You have failed me, Scarecrow," she said.

"Please, master!" begged the man. "I can get rid of those children! Please, just give me one more chance!"

"Never!" shouted Maleficent. "I do not forgive failure! Now begone, wretch!"

The woman faded from the shadows and was replaced by several other figures. When they came into the light, they revealed themselves to be Aerrow and his friends. They all laughed maliciously when they faced the man after defeating him, but then something horrible happened: their faces contorted to show they had grown razor-sharp fangs and their eyes had begun glowing blood red. They had advanced on Scarecrow just as he screamed with fright and cowered before them as he accepted the punishment from his master.

* * *

><p>Back in the castle, Scarecrow struggled while dealing with his worst fear come to life. He eventually got his way out of Junko's grasp and ran away hysterically. Unlike his victims, he was unable to face his fear and it was clouding his perception. The man kept running until he smashed through a window and fell out of the castle.<p>

The others rushed over and watched Scarecrow scream all the way down as he plummeted into the dark chasm. It continued until they could no longer see him and his fear-induced scream faded. The group backed away and all felt slightly sorry for Scarecrow but also felt glad that they would never have to deal with him again.

"Guess he couldn't take his own medicine," said Danny.

Everyone was brought back to reality when they heard cheers in the distance. They looked and saw their ghostly friends clapping their hands while still inside the magic prison.

"You did it!" said BlueTiger321.

"And you sure stuck it to Scarecrow!" said JusSonic.

The group walked over to the ghosts with smiles on their faces, feeling humble about what they said. To them, it could never have been done without the assistance of the spirits.

"We should be congratulating you," said Katara.

"You really came through for us," said Aang.

"Think nothing of it," said Amber Pegasus. "We were just doing whatever you would do for us."

"Thanks," said Danny. "But what are you guys doing in there?"

"This is a prison set up by Scarecrow," answered BlueTiger321. "He forced us in here in order to save you guys. But then, he deceived us and made us watch as he injected you with more fear gas."

"Well, it's all over now," said Piper.

"So how do we get you guys out of there?" said June.

No sooner had the girl asked her question when everybody saw a blue glow coming from Aerrow. The red-haired teen looked amazed by the sight and then rummaged through his suit to bring out the gemstone glowing brightly. They all watched as they saw the object fire a blue beam at the magic prison. The light caused the prison to disintegrate until it was no more and the ghosts had been freed. When it was over, the light from the gemstone faded and Aerrow placed it back in his suit.

"Wow!" said Junko.

"How'd he do that?" asked Finn.

"I have no idea," admitted Aerrow.

"The gemstone did that by itself," JusSonic explained. "Remember what Yen Sid told you? It can dissipate any malevolent magic."

Toph just brushed it off with a wave of her hand. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," she said. "All this talk of magic and gas is gettin' us nowhere. I say we get back to finding that witch and sending her packing."

"No arguments here," said Aang.

Sokka turned his head and thought he saw something. Looking again, he smiled when he knew what the sight meant. "Hey, guys! Look!" he said while pointing in his direction.

Everyone else looked to see what their friend was seeing, and they all let out surprised gasps when they had found another staircase going up, which meant they were approaching another floor of the castle.

"Great!" said BlueTiger321. "Hopefully it'll be the last time we'll have to go up!"

"I hope so, too," said Aerrow. "Now, it's time that we show Maleficent that we're not gonna tolerate her diabolical scheme anymore!"

The others all shouted with enthusiasm at their friend's words of encouragement. The ghosts had returned to the accessories and everyone made their way over to the staircase. With another obstacle conquered, they felt that they had acquired a newfound strength within themselves that would see them through to the last trial.

* * *

><p>BlueTiger321: Yeah! Everybody's conquered their fears!<p>

Aerrow: I knew we could do it.

Piper: Was there ever a doubt?

Danny: I feel so good right now.

Stork: I've conquered my _worst_ fear, but that doesn't mean I haven't conquered my many other fears.

Everyone: *grumbles in frustration*

BlueTiger321: Well folks, stay tuned when our heroes finally face Maleficent in the next chapter, with a little assistance. So, until next time…

Everyone: Read and review!


	11. Chapter 11: The Dragon's Den

Chapter 11: The Dragon's Den

BlueTiger321: Hi, everyone! So now that our heroes have gotten past their worst fears, it's time they settle the score with Maleficent. Are they going to do it? Find out for yourselves!

* * *

><p>Gabriel Belmont walked through the top of the castle. After clearing many of the trials by himself, he could feel that he was getting closer to his target. Getting to this point was almost too easy for him; he was a member of the Brotherhood of Light and therefore had the necessary skills to combat his way past anything. Soon he would become the saviour of Toon City for bringing down the evil sorceress who threatened the world with her malevolence but knew that it was what he strived for because he believed that it was his duty to protect the innocent from the wicked.<p>

Stopping just short of getting close to an entryway, Gabriel looked down the dark staircase while a wind blew behind him and ruffled his hair. The way that the entrance was conveniently placed before him had made him understand that that was where he would become as stealthy as possible to surprise Maleficent.

The man was about to enter when he suddenly had a nagging feeling in the back of his mind; it was about the way that he spoke to the group of children he met earlier. It was true that he did witness them take care of a trio of monsters with ease, but still he could not let their own strengths interfere with his duty. It also stemmed from the fact that someone he knew had betrayed him a long time ago and it still haunted his memories. Knowing that, he frowned as he could never let anyone get close to him again.

_It was for their own good_, the man thought.

Gabriel pushed the feeling aside and stepped into the entryway to begin his confrontation with Maleficent. Although feeling unsure of how he was going to handle the sorceress, the thought of saving people from despair was what gave him the resolve to keep going forward.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Aerrow and his friends had reached the fourth and final floor of the castle. The trek from the dungeon all the way to the top was like climbing up a mountain for all of them after going through all the challenges they faced. But they knew that it was all in preparation for this very moment and it would all be worth it once they were sure they would succeed.<p>

Everybody had made it to the floor from the staircase and looked out at what lay before them. All there was of the top floor was a long hallway that stretched on with blue torches lining the way, their lights reflecting off the smooth surface and making it look like the ocean during night time. Right at the end of the hallway was a double set of closed doors with large handles situated near the centre where they met that were S-shaped and almost looked like they were snakes permanently frozen in place.

Judging from the way the hallway and the door both looked so foreboding, each of them could only imagine that Maleficent was waiting in the next room ready to do battle. After everything they had gone through the entire night, they all wanted to end it quickly so they could get back to their home. But none of them were willing to admit that they were scared on the inside of what was to come.

Onward the group walked down the hallway, only focusing on what they were to face once they opened the doors. As always, their footsteps created clacks that sounded eerie and they all knew it was not going to stop for as long as they traversed.

"This is it," said Aerrow. "I hope you're all ready."

"I'm ready as I'm ever going to be," said Piper.

"I've been ready ever since we got here," said Danny.

"There's definitely no turning back now," said June.

"Who wants to turn back?" said Sokka. "Well, besides Stork, anyway."

"I would be offended by that," said the Merb, "but it is true."

_"It all comes down to this,"_ said BlueTiger321. _"Now what say we go take care of this witch and then celebrate Halloween the way it's supposed to be, with each other?"_

The others gave a short chuckle, thinking that their friend was right; Halloween was meant to be celebrated as a joyous time but instead they've been spending it in a terrifying place. The irony of it all soon got to them and it was that that put them in high spirits.

Everyone had made it to the large doors. Aerrow indicated over to Junko to open them up since the doors looked heavy and the Wallop was the strongest member of the group. Junko complied with the gesture and he grabbed both handles and pulled hard. The doors swung open with ease after being pulled by the mammoth strength of the Wallop and allowed everyone access into the next room.

Slowly the group stepped past the doorway, but then they darted around when they immediately heard the doors slam shut behind them. It made them stare wide-eyed with stunned faces but they should have realized that it was nothing surprising from what they already saw in the castle.

"Well," said Aang, "that doesn't sound promising."

"What did you expect, Twinkle Toes?" said Toph. "Maleficent would just invite us in for tea and cookies?"

The group turned back to the front when a malicious laugh bounced off the walls and filled their heads. It was so jarring that they almost jumped out of their skins. The laugh sounded female, and each of them knew there was only one person in the entire castle who could produce such a chilling sound.

"It's official: we've made it to Maleficent," said Katara.

Finn was biting his nails nervously while he looked around the room. "Man, I sure wish I brought a spare pair of underwear."

It was at that time that the ghosts exited the accessories and faced their friends. Aerrow and the others looked at their ghostly companions with amazed expressions to see them take part in the moment that would decide the fate of their world.

"You guys don't have to feel like you're alone," said JusSonic, "'cause we're taking part in this battle, too."

"We're not going to hide from Maleficent anymore," said Amber Pegasus. "What she did to us so long ago was just the beginning, and we're not going to let her torture everyone in your world."

"Yen Sid brought us here for a reason," said BlueTiger321, "and I believe it was to protect this world because I see goodness within it. And after meeting you all, I'm certain of that. I won't let someone like Maleficent destroy such a beautiful world, especially when I've come to think of it as home."

What the ghosts said made the others feel privileged that they were friends with them. And the meaning behind the words had given them the strength to press onward, so they ran ahead to the end of the room without looking back. The laughter continued incessantly but did not make them change their minds; all that mattered to them was saving Toon City from eternal darkness.

Eventually, they all arrived at the end of the room and there they paused. It was a round area with a throne at the back where the evil sorceress sat and a glowing ball of green energy off to the side that contained Dash, Snipe and Jack. The bullies looked and had fear plastered on their faces while they pounded their fists against the wall of their cell.

"Get us out of here!" cried Dash.

A blast of magic to the floor made the trio back away and yelp in surprise. The laughter had finally stopped and everyone saw the woman rise from her throne and stare at Aerrow's group with a gentle yet vile smirk on her face. Her eyes were beaming with coldness that made them all think that it was more horrifying than all the obstacles in the castle combined.

Maleficent then did the unexpected: she clapped her hands together in welcoming the group. "Bravo," she said. "You have finally made it all the way here. I tried everything I could to keep you away from me, and yet here you are." She stopped clapping and then reached her hand to bring her staff to her telekinetically. "I must admit: that was no small feat for anyone."

"Are you really congratulating us," said Zuko, "or are you just being condescending?"

"Well, there is no getting past you," said the sorceress. "But do you mind if I ask you one thing?"

"Fire away," Sokka said with narrowed eyes.

"What made you think that you could honestly stop me?" Maleficent then shook her head as if she was feeling sorry for the children who stood before her. "Surely even you did not believe the words of that senile fool Yen Sid?"

The ghosts were infuriated by the insult to their former master. But rather than exact their wrath on her and endanger their friends, they stood with quiet demeanour and waited for what they hoped would be the opportune moment.

"It was partly that," answered Danny, "but it was also because we didn't feel like having our world being annihilated by you."

"That's right," said June. "We're living proof that we're not gonna sit back and let you wipe us out just because you feel like it!"

"We've gone through loads of other horrible stuff to get to you," said Junko, "so dealing with you should be a piece of cake!"

The comment said by the Wallop was what made Maleficent exhale another laugh. Whatever she thought was so funny was making the others feel angry at her. To them, showing their courage when they were about to face their destiny was no laughing matter and seeing someone who thought so was insulting their character.

"Oh, so headstrong, and so naïve," Maleficent said when her laughter ended. "I am sure that Yen Sid told you that I have a source where I gather my power, but did he happen to tell you what it is that fuels my power?"

Silence passed over the group when they were all speechless about what the evil sorceress asked them. Never had they ever considered what it was that made Maleficent so powerful in the first place.

The woman then gave them the answer. "It is fear," she said. "Fear is what gives me strength. Every day in your world, there is at least one person who displays fear no matter how small or irrational it may be. As time goes on, fear develops in the hearts of every man, woman and child in the world, and it fills me with power.

"When you were spending the time going through my castle, you each had fear going through your minds and it was exactly what I needed to make me even more powerful. I can even see it in your eyes right now. I can tell that you are all afraid of facing me, afraid of not being able to make it back to your city, and afraid of letting down everyone you know. In a way, I should be thanking you."

The group was taken aback when they heard the response from the woman. The very idea of fear being what empowers Maleficent was unbelievable, and they also couldn't believe that they had helped make her stronger by displaying fear from their travel in the castle. And they each thought that they were making matters worse by showing fear in front of her.

But Aerrow replaced his fear with courage as he stepped up to face the woman with Radarr hanging off by his shoulders. "You say fear like it's a bad thing," he said. "But I think fear can be good. Sure, it can be annoying because it always gets in your way, but it's what drives us to do our best. It's true that I'm afraid of facing you right now, but even I won't let that slow me down. I'm here right now because I'm afraid of what you intend to do to our world, but I'm not off cowering in a corner. Instead I'm being brave because I won't let you have your way! You might think that you can get fear to work in your favour, but it also works in mine!"

Radarr looked at the sorceress with narrowed eyes and he chirruped when his friend was done giving his speech as if to say that he agreed with what Aerrow said.

All of Aerrow's friends looked at him like he was speaking nonsense, but then the meaning of it all came to them: they were also being driven by fear and showing their courage by facing off against Maleficent. The fear in all of them seemed to vanish when they showed their courage along with the Sky Knight, and so one-by-one they walked up to Aerrow and stood behind him to support his words while they all narrowed their eyes at the evil sorceress.

Maleficent sneered at the foolish children. Even without their fear, she could easily dispatch them. "Very well," she said. "I am still going to bring suffering to everyone you know. But first, I will take pleasure in crushing you like the insects you are!" Aiming her staff, the woman fired a blast of green magical energy at the group.

The attack was coming so fast that no one had time to react to it, except for the ghosts who quickly held up their hands and created a barrier around themselves and the group. The magical blast was blocked by the barrier and the ghosts had no trouble keeping it in place. Maleficent grunted with force as she increased the strength of her assault but still could not penetrate the defense. Everyone else breathed a sigh of relief when they saw they were protected.

"That was some fast thinking, guys!" said Piper.

"We knew we'd be ready for the right time," said JusSonic.

The attack from Maleficent had ceased and the barrier from the ghosts had dissipated. Knowing that they would have to be prepared, the others of the group had drawn their weapons or gotten into fighting stances.

Amber Pegasus, meanwhile, looked closely at the sorceress, who was fuming with rage over her failed attempt to destroy the group. It was then that the ghost noticed the orb on the tip of the staff pulsing like it was creating ripples in the very fabric of the universe itself. The waves that came off had a certain feeling to the ghost, almost like the way a person would scream when being surprised in the dark. All the evidence then came together and she knew what it meant.

"Guys! Look at her staff!" said Amber Pegasus. "I think that's the source of her power."

Hearing her words, everyone else gazed upon Maleficent's staff and saw the same thing she did. From the way it gave off energy and how strong it felt every time it pulsed, they figured that it was as their friend said: it was the source of her power.

"Awesome," said Aerrow. "Now, it's time to say goodnight!"

The red-haired teen reached into his suit to grab the gemstone, but Maleficent had already taken action. Stomping the butt of her staff on the floor, she unleashed a green wave of energy that spread throughout the room. The blast came towards the group, including the ghosts, and enveloped them to send pain coursing through their bodies. It was so bad for them that they were forced to the floor and lied motionless while bits of green-coloured magical energy surged in their chests.

Dash, Snipe and Jack saw the battle was not going well for Aerrow and the others. Normally they would be filled with joy to see their misery, but they were routing for them as they were their only hope of escaping and saving Toon City.

"C'mon, guys!" shouted Dash. "You can't let her win!"

"You're the big, nice heroes, right?" said Snipe. "You just wouldn't leave us like this, would you?"

"Please, get up!" said Jack. "I want to live!"

The words got through to the group but their bodies were paralyzed and there was no way for them to respond; they couldn't even defend themselves when they saw Maleficent standing over them with a menacing smile like a child about to kill defenseless ants.

"Do you see it now?" said the sorceress. "My power is almighty, and there is nothing you can do to stifle it. I would let you become consumed by darkness like everyone else in your world, but you have been a thorn in my side for far too long. I will settle this right now."

Maleficent was through toying around with the group, and so she aimed her staff at them with all her anger focused. Everyone looked up with shame on their faces, feeling like they had let down Yen Sid and all of Toon City after making it so close only to fail within seconds of facing off against Maleficent. The only thing they could do was close their eyes and wait for the embrace of death.

The evil sorceress was about to fire her spell but was knocked to the side when something struck her shoulder. What it had done was cause her to shout in pain and lose her concentration so her magic dissipated. Everyone lying on the floor was left in shock to see that their end had not come but were more surprised to see who had saved them.

Maleficent had also wondered who would lash out at her right when she was about to finish off her enemies. Turning around and breathing angrily, she froze when she saw who it was. "You!" she said.

Gabriel Belmont stood a few feet away with the end of the Combat Cross returning to him after he attacked Maleficent. His eyes carried the look of a hunter seeking its prey after a long chase through the woods, and he was going to satisfy his thirst for justice by slaying the wicked.

"In the name of the Brotherhood of Light," said the man, "I will deliver a swift and well-deserved punishment on you, Maleficent!" Looking off to the side, he stared at the group while they were still recovering from the last attack. "You leave this to me," he said to them.

Everyone rolled their eyes when they saw it was no surprise that Gabriel was still behaving like the martyr he wanted to be and still would not accept any help.

"You'd think he'd be a little more understanding about our situation," said Finn.

Maleficent narrowed her eyes while staring at Gabriel. "Arrogant fool!" she shouted and fired a blast from her staff.

Gabriel, meanwhile, activated his Shadow Magic and ran forward with incredible speed with the power of his Cyclone Boots. Just before he was about to collide with the attack, he raised his Dark Gauntlet and fired an attack of his own in the shape of large red blades. The magical attacks exploded with force the instant they made contact with each other, but Gabriel used his heightened speed to avoid the blast radius while Maleficent took the blow and was knocked into the air.

The woman shouted with pain when she was lifted by the explosion and then saw her opponent already jumping up and swinging around his weapon in the air from each side. Maleficent could do nothing as the Combat Cross continually smacked her front and she shouted with agony when the lashing slashed into her robes and cut her skin. It did not stop as she was grabbed by the tip of the lash and dragged over to Gabriel who used his gauntlet to punch the sorceress down to the floor.

Gabriel landed on the floor with grace. He looked at his foe while she was getting up after the furious assault with even more rage in her eyes and raised her staff to attempt another attack. But Gabriel was ready for another round and already devised a plan.

Turning to the group as they were getting to their feet, the man said to them, "Shield your eyes!"

Not knowing what the man warned them of, the group did as he requested and covered their eyes with their hands. Maleficent was about to open fire when Gabriel leapt into the air and released a pair of angel-like wings on his back. His Light Magic was activated as he spread out the Seraph Shoulders and unleashed a flash of light. It was so bright in the room that Maleficent shouted when she was temporarily blinded and lost control of her spell.

The man, still using Light Magic, folded his wings back up to end the brightness and attacked again with the Combat Cross. The Light Magic infused in the whip caused immense pain to the sorceress when it struck her body and was forced to back away from her opponent.

Maleficent clutched her arms as they gave off smoke from receiving the blows by Gabriel. She was so badly damaged that she leaned on her staff for support.

By that time Aerrow and his friends had arisen after recovering from Maleficent's earlier attack. They could not believe their eyes: Maleficent was already weakened by the hand of Gabriel Belmont. It seemed as though the man actually knew what he was doing.

"Wow," said Aerrow. "He just mopped the floor with Maleficent."

"I guess he wasn't kidding when he said he didn't need our help," said Piper.

"As much as I hate to admit it," said BlueTiger321, "he's doing a great job."

Gabriel had dispelled his Light Magic and walked to Maleficent with the intent of finishing her off. "It's over, Maleficent," he said. "You will never torment another living soul."

A growl came out of the evil sorceress; it would not be over unless she deemed it. She then summoned all the power within her staff and glowed with a green aura that healed her wounds and made her stand upright. Looking at the man that stood before her she said, "This is not done yet, fool! Now you shall witness the powers of Hell!"

Magic erupted out of Maleficent that made black smoke swirl around her. Everyone stood their ground as the force almost knocked them down. When the smoke cleared, Aerrow's group, Gabriel and Dash's group all looked up in fright when they saw that Maleficent had transformed into a giant black dragon with green eyes and purple wings.

"And I thought she was bad before…" said Aang.

"It looks like things got a little more challenging," said JusSonic.

Maleficent attacked first by breathing green flames aimed at Gabriel, who barely dodged out of the way and skidded to a halt by slamming the end of the Combat Cross to the floor to make sparks appear. Getting up, he got ready for another fight as Maleficent roared and swiped her enormous claws at the man. Gabriel managed to whip them away and lashed out with his own attacks, but he could see that the scales on Maleficent's body acted like armour and protected her from each lash of the Combat Cross.

Gabriel was going to try another tactic by infusing his weapon with magic since it had worked previously on the sorceress. He was about to summon his power when Maleficent swiped the man away with her tail and sent him crashing into the wall. Gabriel shouted in pain when his back struck the wall and he slid to the floor where he sat motionless.

The others all gasped when they saw the man had been badly injured. It was then they decided that no matter what he said, they had to help him and fulfill their duty to Yen Sid.

Gabriel tried to get up but pain still wracked his body. He clutched his left shoulder and hoped that it wasn't dislocated. It was during that time that Maleficent stomped her way over to the man and preparing to unleash another breath of fire. Gabriel was left with no other option: he could not move or defend himself, so he brought his head down in shame for failing the people he swore to protect.

The flames were shot out of Maleficent's mouth and headed straight for Gabriel, but then a blue beam of light came out and created a barrier over the man that shielded him from the attack. When the flames subsided, Gabriel looked and saw that he wasn't dead. Instead he saw Piper hold out her crystals and use her power to aid him.

The other members of the group all charged in to attack the evil sorceress. Aerrow had fired off his Lightning Claw that struck Maleficent's tail and sent waves of blue crystal energy surging around her body. She turned around to witness the children all advancing on her.

Everyone was now doing whatever they could to stop Maleficent: Katara and Finn fired off a barrage of icicles and crossbow bolts that hit the sorceress in her face, Zuko fired a round of fire balls that singed her wings, Toph brought up stalagmites to stab the dragon in her legs, Sokka, Junko and June all used their physical prowess to run around and randomly strike the sorceress in different places, Danny rose into the air and unleashed his Ghostly Wail to hit her in the back, and Aang had converted into the Avatar State and fired a powerful air blast that forced her back and almost knocked her down. The ghosts were also taking part in the battle by firing off ecto-blasts from their hands to her chest after the sorceress was trying to recover from the assault made by the Avatar.

When the first wave of attacks was done, Stork and Radarr had gotten the dragon's attention by taunting her. The furry co-pilot turned around and patted his rear at her while the Merb stretched his mouth with his index fingers while sticking out his tongue. Maleficent grew aggravated by the taunts and so she breathed fire at the two Storm Hawks, but Stork and Radarr both dodged in time, which was long enough for Piper and Aerrow to prepare their attack.

Pointing her crystals at the boy, Piper shouted, "Lightning Strike!"

A blue beam of light engulfed the Sky Knight and gave him extraordinary power. He then used it to fly up to Maleficent and fire a large blue pulse that hit her chest and caused her to roar as it sent bolts of lightning around her body.

Dash, Snipe and Jack watched everything from within the safety of their cell. Cheers erupted from their mouths as each successful hit against Maleficent was delivered and made them feel confident that Aerrow's group was going to win.

During the battle, Gabriel stood up and saw in amazement that the children were handling themselves well against Maleficent. Before he had doubted whether they were capable of facing off against her in battle, but now he saw them fight her valiantly like they were made for it. He was now starting to regret what he said to them and was going to set things right by fulfilling their request.

June breathed heavily after trying to hit random spots around the sorceress but to no avail. "We can't keep this up," she said. "Where's her power source?"

Amber Pegasus used her power to look around for the staff. Using her finely-tuned senses, she picked up the familiar energy and located it within Maleficent. "I see it!" she said. "The staff has been fused with her heart."

Aerrow, still under the power of the Binding, heard the call from the ghost and tried to think of how he was going to use the gemstone to defeat her. That's when his eyes caught a glimpse of something in the distance. Leaning against the wall next to the throne was a sword that pointed to the floor.

"I've got it!" said the red-haired teen. His gaze was then on the ghosts. "Follow me!"

Aerrow and the ghosts went over to the throne just as the power of the Binding faded from the Sky Knight. He then grabbed the sword by the hilt and grunted as he forced it off the wall.

Meanwhile, Maleficent had enough of the constant attacks, so she exhaled a deafening roar that was powerful enough to knock everyone else off their feet and onto the floor where they remained paralyzed. She took the time to turn her back and see Aerrow getting ready by bringing out the gemstone within his suit. The evil sorceress narrowed her eyes as she could feel powerful magic emanating from the object held by the boy and she could not let herself be defeated that way. So she stomped her way over to the Sky Knight and the ghosts to finish them off before they could strike.

Piper looked up with worry on her face to see that her friend was left defenseless before Maleficent. Still lying on the floor she shouted, "Aerrow, look out!"

The warning was heard by the teen and he and the ghosts turned around to see Maleficent lean her head down with her jaw wide open. They had no time to defend themselves so they stood with horrified expressions.

Before Maleficent could swallow her prey, a lash formed on her neck that halted her attack. Aerrow and the ghosts looked up in disbelief when they found Gabriel Belmont fly into the air with his Seraph Shoulders and use his Combat Cross to force Maleficent's head away from them. The man rode on the dragon while she roared in fury, but Gabriel managed to keep himself steady.

"Now!" Gabriel shouted toward Aerrow. "Finish her!"

The Sky Knight smiled at the man and raised both the sword and the gemstone. The ghosts already knew what to do, so they directed their hands to make the gemstone levitate from Aerrow's palm where it was then fused with the blade and made it shine with white light.

BlueTiger321 then enchanted a spell. "Now Sword of Truth, fly swift and sure, that evil die and good endure!"

When Aerrow saw the opening, he grunted and hurled the sword like a javelin and sent it spiralling through the air at Maleficent.

Gabriel had then leapt off the dragon's head and landed on the floor just as the blade pierced through Maleficent's flesh and ran through her heart. The evil sorceress shouted in agony as blood oozed out of her wound, but then she felt another pain: the magic of the gemstone infused in the blade had destroyed the source of her power. Feeling her own life-force being drained from her body, Maleficent toppled to the floor.

Aerrow and the ghosts leapt out of the way before Maleficent came crashing down and broke through the wall of her castle. Debris was sent everywhere after the dead sorceress fell and plummeted to the ground.

Everyone ran over to the opening to see it for themselves, and what they all saw outside the castle made them open their eyes wide. On the ground was a black patch of earth with the sword Aerrow used to kill Maleficent sticking out from the middle. After a few seconds, the sword turned had also turned black.

"We did it," said Aerrow. "We actually did it! We stopped Maleficent!"

"I know," said Danny after reverting to his human form. "It feels exhilarating to know that we've saved our city from complete destruction."

A flash of green light came out from the corner of their eyes and they all saw Dash's group emerge out of their cell. The bullies all walked out to find themselves freed where they erupted in cheers and hugged each other. Realizing what they were doing, Dash shoved them off with a nasty look on his face.

Aerrow and his group were about to laugh at the sight when they all felt a rumble. The entire castle was shaking with intensity like an earthquake had been unleashed, and they all saw the crystal walls and the floor become fractured. A gasp came out from each member when they realized that they were in danger.

"This whole place is falling apart!" said Zuko.

"Now that Maleficent's gone, the magic that created her castle is no more!" said JusSonic.

"Then we've gotta get out of here!" said Aerrow.

"But how?" said June. "We're all the way at the top! We'll be buried under rubble before we even get to the exit!"

Before anybody could react to June's words, a blue light shined in front of them that expanded to reveal a doorway. It was a gleam of hope to everyone as they knew it was a portal created by Yen Sid.

Danny smiled and said, "There's our ticket out of here!" The halfa was then pushed aside when Dash and his friends ran up to the portal.

"Every man for himself!" shouted Dash and went through the portal along with Snipe and Jack.

Aerrow and the others just rolled their eyes in annoyance, thinking it was typical of the bullies to only think of themselves. But they did not contemplate it any further; they just ran towards the portal with Gabriel being the last one to enter. The portal closed behind the man just as the castle finally gave way and collapsed in a huge pile where it would remain for eternity.

* * *

><p>Everyone had emerged from the other side of the portal into the courtyard of Black Manor. The portal closed behind them and they all stared out at the night sky, glad to find that their world had not been covered in darkness as Maleficent had set out to do. A deep sigh of relief came from everyone's mouth as they had returned to the city they had treasured as their home.<p>

Waiting for everyone in the courtyard was Yen Sid, Raimundo and Speedy. They walked up to the group with smiles on their faces when they saw that they had succeeded in their quest.

"Well done, my friends," said the wizard. "You have just saved our world from destruction. I am truly proud of you all."

Aerrow and his frields felt pleased by the congratulation from Yen Sid. It was a tough battle for all of them but they had come out victorious and knew that they were heroes in their own light.

"We couldn't have done it without the help of Gabriel," said the Sky Knight.

Yen Sid looked and saw the man joined by the group of friends. "Ah, Gabriel Belmont. I did not think that you would have joined them in their quest."

"Neither did I," said the man. He then looked apologetically at the children and spoke to them in a soft voice. "I've misjudged you all. After your courageous display, I am glad to say that it was an honour to work with you in saving our world."

"Likewise," said Aerrow.

"You really stuck it to that witch," said Finn.

"I hope we'll get to work together again someday," said Katara.

June also smiled at Gabriel but then remembered that Dash's group was still with them. "So," she said and pointed a thumb over to the bullies, "what about them?"

The others all looked at the trio and wondered about them. Remembering how they worked with the evil sorceress, thoughts came to their mind about how to make them pay.

"I say we make 'em go through Black Manor again with our ghostly pals," said Sokka.

"Or why don't we scare the crap out of 'em again like when we were zombies?" said Danny.

Dash, Snipe and Jack all shook with fear when they were confronted by the group, but Aerrow thought about why they had joined with Maleficent in the first place. It then made him feel sorry for the bullies and he knew what he was going to do.

"No," said the red-haired teen.

Aerrow's friends looked at him strangely, wondering what made him say that.

"What do you mean, Aerrow?" said Junko.

"You're just gonna let them go after what they did to us?" said Toph.

"Don't you see?" explained the Sky Knight. "It was because of us that they sided with Maleficent. If we end up scaring them like before then it'll only lead them to think to get revenge on us again."

BlueTiger321 was the first one to comment. "You're right, Aerrow," he said. "We'd be no better than Maleficent if we scare them off again. It'll just be a vicious cycle of each side always trying to get the edge on the other."

The realization came to everyone else and they all looked at Dash's group apologetically. And they were going to make things better before it would get out of hand once more.

"Dash, Snipe, Jack," said Aerrow, "we're sorry for what we did to you."

"It was wrong of us to ever pull a mean trick on you," said Piper. When she was done, the others all nodded with her to show they were sorry as well.

Jack was the only one who smiled at the apologies, but it was interrupted when Dash shoved him to snap him out of his happiness.

"Whatever," the blonde-haired bully said apathetically. "You dorks are just lucky that you didn't get the full taste of our wrath." He turned to Snipe and Jack and said, "Let's go, boys, and leave the goody-goodies before we get all mushy." With that, Dash and his friends walked out of the courtyard and vanished into the dark forest to leave the others alone.

Katara had crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, feeling insulted that the bullies hadn't accepted their apology. "What jerks," she said. "They didn't even have the decency to thank us."

"I believe they did," said Yen Sid. "Though crude as they may be, choosing not to harass you at this second was their way of accepting your apology."

"Yeah," agreed Aang. "That's probably as good as it's gonna get, so I say we should take it."

A few seconds had passed, and Raimundo and Speedy remembered what they had intended to say to their friends.

"Hey, guys!" said the Xiaolin warrior. "I almost forgot to tell you something!"

"What is it, Rai?" asked Danny.

"Some loco is on his way here to trash the mansion!" answered Speedy.

The group opened their eyes wide in surprise; their entire quest had made them forget about Russ Cargill and what he planned to do to Black Manor.

"That jackass is still going through with it?" said Sokka.

"I can't believe it!" said June.

"Well, we can't let this happen!" said Aerrow. "We've already saved our world, so let's save Black Manor!"

"I'm ready as always," said BlueTiger321.

"Me, too," said JusSonic.

"And so am I," said Amber Pegasus.

Gabriel heard everything and walked up to the group. Smiling at all of them, he said, "Let me repay you all by helping you protect your home. It's the least I can do."

A smile came to everyone's face after hearing Gabriel's request. Nodding their heads, they then devised a plan to save Black Manor before Russ Cargill would arrive.

* * *

><p>BlueTiger321: Yay! Maleficent's dead and Toon City is saved!<p>

Aerrow: Yeah, but what about Russ Cargill?

Cargill: That's right! I'm still comin' to tear the house down to the ground! *laughs evilly*

June: In your dreams, butt head! *kicks Cargill in the shin*

Cargill: Ow! I thought she only did that to the Dark Ace!

June: No, just to jerkfaces who really get on my nerves!

BlueTiger321: Well folks, the story's not over yet, so stay tuned when our heroes defend Black Manor. Until next time…

Aerrow: Read and review!


	12. Chapter 12: A Haunting Welcome

Chapter 12: A Haunting Welcome

BlueTiger321: Hi, everyone! Welcome to the last chapter of my Halloween tale. All I can say is I hope you enjoy it!

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><p>The demolition crew rolled its way through the forest heading for Black Manor with Russ Cargill still sitting within a bulldozer. It was a lucky thing for the man when he had not encountered the group of children he met earlier in the day and figured that saving the mansion was probably not all that important to them. With them out of the way, he could finally carry out his plans without any more distractions.<p>

The forest got darker and darker as the heavy machinery drove deeper within it. To Cargill, the darkness acted like the perfect method to conceal what he was about to do to the mansion. And afterwards it would already be too late for someone to stop him. Soon, he thought, it would be all over and he would get to execute his master plan to all of Toon City.

Driving farther up the dirt path, the demolition crew soon stopped when they saw a stone wall with a wrought-iron gate placed in the middle. Cargill had already been at the spot before and recognized it as the entrance leading into Black Manor.

"This is it, boys," said Cargill. "Now let's go tear down a stupid, worthless mansion."

The crew member sitting next to Cargill scratched his head underneath his helmet while still feeling skeptical about the job. "So, how do we get in?"

Cargill rolled his eyes in annoyance at the question. "What do you think? We're sitting on heavy machinery built to wreck stuff. Now just roll your way through the gates and let's get started!"

The other crew members shrugged their shoulders and did as they were told. The machines rolled forward with their operators intending on breaking through the gate. Several bulldozers drove up to the walls and pushed against it only to find that they could not go forward; the wall stood strong and seemed to stop them in their tracks the second the bulldozers pushed against it.

"What the hell's going on here?" Cargill said confusedly. "I gave you an order, now bust your way through the gate!"

"We're trying!" said one of the workers. "We keep pushing our way through, but this wall won't budge!"

"Then back up and ram it!" Cargill slapped a hand over his forehead and could not believe the incompetence of his workers.

The bulldozers were shifted into reverse. Once they had gotten enough distance, the workers drove forward again to smash down the wall. Much to their chagrin, they collided with the wall again and could not get it to move. The workers were now even more frustrated with not being able to do a simple job of breaking through a wall. A look of worry soon came over them as they each thought that it was as though something had strengthened the wall to withstand such punishment.

Cargill watched the entire thing and twitched his eye in irritation. "Come on! You can't even break through a wall? What kind of demolition crew are you?"

All of a sudden, the wrought-iron gates had mysteriously opened before the workers. Their earlier attempts to break down the wall seemed useless now that they saw an opening made for them. They all shared quizzical glances to wonder what exactly was happening. Some of them even thought that something was not quite right with how everything acted out in front of them.

But Cargill thought it was another lucky turn of events. "Well, that's convenient," he said. "Now let's go, boys!"

The demolition crew all drove past the gate once they had been mysteriously given access. One by one they all headed up the courtyard to finish their job and then go on home. But still, each of the men could not help but think that their employer had an ulterior motive from doing this.

Russ Cargill smirked and narrowed his eyes when he looked in the distance. Black Manor stood tall and proud to show its Victorian-style structure to the world of toons. It seemed to mock the man by its presence, but Cargill knew that it would all change in an instant when it would be gone forever and the site would make way for what he had been planning for a long time.

The crew member operating the bulldozer next to Cargill decided to say what was on his mind. "Uh, Mr. Cargill?" he said. "I know this sounds crazy, but I think we should turn back now."

Cargill was taken aback by the statement. He then shook his head as if something was caught in his ears. "Excuse me," he said, "but do I pay you to think?"

"No."

"Then just shut up and do your job!"

The crew was getting closer to the house, so they said nothing for the rest of the way. But then, they all shifted their heads around when they thought they heard the sound of snickering. From the way it sounded, a group of children were making the noises like they were about to pull a prank on an unsuspecting victim.

"What was that?" said a worker driving a crane.

"Never mind what it was," answered Cargill. "It's probably just the wind."

"I've never heard wind being able to laugh," said another worker.

Cargill looked at the demolition crew with a stern expression. "Whatever made that sound is neither here nor there. Just go destroy the mansion so we can get out of here."

The workers could see that their employer was already showing signs of exploding with rage, so they each thought it would be in their best interests not to question him further. By that time the strange noises had stopped and they had all arrived at the front of the mansion. Every bulldozer and crane waited before the house with smoke bellowing from their pipes while waiting in anticipation for their operators to activate their functions.

Cargill leapt out of the bulldozer he was riding from and landed on the ground. He directed a hand towards the house and said, "All right! Now star—"

Before the man could finish his sentence, the door to Black Manor flew open and out flew a swarm of bats that came up to the crew and made them all shout with fright. Cargill was also scared by the sight and brought his hands to his face to protect himself. The air was now filled with screeches as the bats flew over the men and disappeared into the forest.

The swarm of bats ended and the demolition crew was left shaking with fear. Cargill had also looked around cautiously for any more bats that would fly out. The whole experience was frightening to him but he was still determined to get his plan finalized. Straightening out his hair and his suit, he brushed off the feeling and looked at Black Manor again.

"Just a minor obstacle, boys," said Cargill. "No need to go runnin' away scared." He gazed over the demolition crew and saw them acting nervously about completing the job. "What's the matter with you? There's a job that needs to be done and I'm ordering you to do it!"

With reluctance, the crew members pressed onward to begin their job. One man operating a crane with a wrecking ball reared it back and sent it soaring through the air while at the same time the men operating bulldozers and cranes went in different directions to do their work. The wrecking ball went in full swing and was inches away from the house until it would tear a giant hole in the wall. Cargill saw it happening and he displayed a tooth-filled grin to see his plan finally come to fruition.

The wrecking ball collided with the house, but not in the way that the worker operating it had expected. Black Manor seemed to stretch its exterior inward like it was made of rubber when the ball tried to smash its way through, and it then sent the ball down to the ground where it had gotten stuck in the earth. Cargill opened his eyes wide in disbelief—he saw the entire thing happen right in front of him but it seemed so illogical.

Meanwhile, the bulldozers advanced on the house but something peculiar happened. The instant that the tracks approached the ground near the mansion, they sank in the earth like it had just changed into quicksand. The workers saw what was taking place and tried to reverse but the tracks kept sinking and the bulldozers along with them. Eventually the men had no choice but to jump out of the bulldozers and land on the ground away from their machines. Each of them watched in dismay to see the heavy machinery they used so many times before disappear into the earth. The last bulldozer was seen sinking into the ground and a large, muddy bubble popped once it was gone.

Elsewhere around the house, the remaining cranes brought down their large scoopers to tear through the roof. It looked as though nothing out of the ordinary was happening to them when they suddenly stopped in midair. The workers were perplexed by the sight and pulled on the levers to force them down, but their commands would not work no matter how many times they tried. They then saw a horrid sight: the cranes started to glow in a green aura and levitate off the ground. Feeling scared for their own safety, the men screamed and jumped off the cranes where they landed on the earth and ran the opposite way. They each saw that it was a good thing to get out as soon as possible when the cranes were turned upside-down and fell to the ground hard.

Cargill stood speechless at what he saw. The heavy machinery used to destroy Black Manor was gone within minutes of approaching it and the demolition crew was left shaking like they had just come out of icy cold water.

"Did you just see that?" said one worker to Cargill. "All our machines have been trashed!"

"And by some freaky stuff no less!" said another worker.

"I knew it! This place is haunted!" another worker said while shaking uncontrollably. "We better get outta here before the ghosts try somethin' else!"

"Enough!" shouted Cargill. "There are no such things as ghosts! This is probably just the work of those snot-nosed brats I met today. It's gotta be just smoke and mirrors to make us think this place is haunted. Well, if that's how they wanna play, then we'll just have to play dirtier. We'll come back here with more men and better machines! We're not gonna stop until this house is taken down for good, even if we die trying!"

It was all quiet throughout the courtyard. None of the workers were willing to comment on Russ Cargill's last remark as it had sounded so ominous to them. Just then, a green light enveloped them. Cargill and his men looked in the back to see all the windows around Black Manor glowing with the same green light. It was a haunting display for them all since they had no idea what was creating the light, but what they all saw next made the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end.

The windows all opened up to let out various monsters glowing green like the light cast off from inside the house. Each of them was different: some with large eyes and horns sticking out of their heads; some only as skeletons; and some with long, slender bodies like a snake. Every monster immediately flew in the direction of the men and roared in their presence to sound menacing.

Shouts from the men, including Cargill, filled the courtyard by the sight of the beasts coming towards them. The demolition crew did the only sensible thing they could: they turned around and ran out of the courtyard to get away from the insanity they witnessed at Black Manor. But Russ Cargill stood his ground and refused to retreat, especially when he was so close to fulfilling his plan.

Cargill looked at the gate to where his frightened men had left. "Cowards!" he shouted. "Get back here, dammit!"

The man looked behind him to see every monster tower over him like he was a small, wounded animal trying to escape from a bear trap. Cargill stared at the beasts and thought they looked so real that he quivered at their presence. His beliefs of Black Manor not being haunted had been washed away when he thought he was going to end up dying on that spot.

"Please don't eat me!" the man pleaded. To show he was serious, he dropped to his knees and brought his hands together. "All I ever wanted was to make something more profitable from where this house was going to be! Is that so wrong?"

The monsters soon stopped before the man and one shaped like a Cyclops stared down at the man and said "Aha!" in a feminine voice.

Cargill looked up when he thought he recognized the voice. He then watched as green smoke enveloped the monsters and shifted their appearance until all that stood before him was the group of children he met. They were joined with another boy, a mouse, an old man, and three other beings he did not know.

"I should've known you were up to no good!" said Aerrow.

"Why else would you want to destroy Black Manor?" said Piper.

"You just want to pave the way for something new, something you could profit from!" said Aang.

Cargill got back on his feet and looked absolutely furious at the group, thinking that he had been played for a fool. "It's you!" he said. "Why is it not surprising to see that you kids would try to stand in my way again?"

"We had a good reason," said Danny.

"We're trying to save Black Manor," said June.

"When are you going to realize that it should be kept where it is?" said Katara.

Sokka looked at the furious expression on Cargill's face and he said, "I've got a feeling that the message isn't getting through to him."

Cargill reached into his suit and pulled out the document. Now, he thought, he was going to prove to them that what he was doing was legitimate. "How many times do I have to tell you kids? I have the mayor's approval to go ahead and tear down Black Manor! If you thought that your little trick was gonna get me to change my mind, you've got another thing coming!"

The group rolled their eyes in exasperation upon hearing the same excuse coming from Cargill. It didn't matter to them if the mayor gave the man authorization; they were not going to let him go through with demolishing the house.

"You know, that's really getting old," said Finn.

"Seriously," said Stork. "Can't you think of something else?"

Yen Sid got a look at the document in Cargill's hands. To him it looked like it was anything that came from the mayor, but something was telling him that it was not as it appeared to be. He decided to see if it was for real, and so he stretched out his hand and telekinetically made the document fly away from Cargill and land in his own hands.

Cargill was immediately offended by the act. "Hey, Rip Van Winkle!" he said. "You can't just go looking at somebody's private property!"

"Oh, shut up, you overinflated sack of hot air," said Raimundo.

"Si," said Speedy. "You worse than that pussy cat who's always trying to chase me."

The wizard carefully inspected the document, going through every part and checking to see if there happened to be something out of place. Everything seemed in order to him when he finally got to the bottom. That's when he narrowed his eyes in anger when he knew that the document was a fraud.

"What do you see, Yen Sid?" said BlueTiger321.

Looking straight at Russ Cargill, Yen Sid showed the document to him and said, "I happen to know Mayor Quimby personally, and this is not his handwriting."

The others gasped when they heard the wizard's testimony. They immediately turned to Cargill and stared at him with hate-filled eyes, causing the man to look worriedly as sweat poured down from his forehead.

"Uh, well, you see…" Cargill stuttered, but then realized that he should come clean. "All right, you got me! I faked the mayor's approval on that document only so nobody could question what I planned on doing to the site once I destroyed Black Manor!"

"And what, pray tell, is that?" Piper said with a criticizing stare.

"I planned to build my own mall!"

Everyone soon gasped when they heard the explanation. The idea of having Black Manor being torn down for something as ludicrous as a mall was an extreme shock to them. But all that disbelief was replaced with rage when they looked at Cargill like he had gone insane.

"You were gonna destroy this mansion just so you could build a stupid mall?" said Aerrow. "You degenerate, self-centered piece of crap!"

To add his own feelings of rage, Radarr looked at the man and growled while balling one of his paws into a fist and shaking it angrily.

"That's beyond low," said Junko.

"It's like someone took out your heart and replaced it with a black hole," said Toph.

"Okay, I've learned my lesson," said Cargill. "Now what do you say you just let me go so I can wallow in my own failure?"

Zuko got in the man's face, feeling that that sort of punishment wasn't enough for someone like him. "But we know your secret," he said. "And I don't think the mayor would be very happy when he finds out that you forged his signature!"

The mention of Mayor Quimby had made Cargill gulp nervously. "Now there's no need to go that far, is there?" he said. The thought of being arrested for forgery soon filled his mind and he hoped that the children would be merciful. "What if we made a deal? If you guys keep quiet about me faking the mayor's approval, then I promise I won't demolish Black Manor. Whaddaya say?"

After hearing the man's request, the group paused to consider it. It would be the best way for them to save the mansion without resorting to extreme measures. But Yen Sid knew that only three of his friends had the right to decide.

The wizard turned to the ghosts and said, "What do you think? Should we let this man go after what he intended to do to your home?"

"Home?" Cargill said confusedly.

The ghosts all looked angrily at Cargill as they were going to tell him exactly how important Black Manor was to them.

"Yes, our home," Amber Pegasus replied.

"It was a gift from Yen Sid for all our hard work," said JusSonic.

"And you planned on tearing it down," said BlueTiger321. "Did you really think you could do something like this and not suffer the consequences?"

Cargill sweat even more profusely when the ghosts glared at him like a jury watching the defendant in court. "Come on," he said. "Can't you find it in your hearts—or whatever you have—to forgive me?"

Aerrow smirked. "Well, he did make a deal with you guys, and we did say never to get revenge on others."

Knowing what the red-haired teen meant, Cargill breathed a sigh of relief as he believed that he would be spared from a horrible fate. Now, he thought, he would get the chance to leave without anything terrible happening.

"But," said Aerrow, "on the other hand…"

All of a sudden, the ghosts shifted their appearances: JusSonic opened up his mouth to reveal large rows of sharp teeth as he roared at Cargill; Amber Pegasus pulled off her own head and unleashed a bloodcurdling scream; and BlueTiger321 split open his face to show his skull while bulging out his eyes and shouting in the process.

The entire sight had made Russ Cargill scream in terror and he ran away from the group to get away from all the madness he saw. Just when he was about to cross the gate, a huge figure landed right behind him. The sound of the stomp halted him in his tracks and he looked behind to see what had come to attack.

Standing in front of Cargill was a tall, pale-skinned figure that looked to be male, wearing only a red and black robe around his waist. His black hair reached down his back and his hands were covered with darkened linen strips wrapped up to his elbows, and his fingers had long claws growing from the tips that looked like they could cut through human bone. The mysterious man breathed in to make his muscular body heave and he roared at Cargill while bearing sharp fangs.

In response, Cargill shouted even louder and ran out through the gates and into the forest. While vanishing in the darkness, he emitted a cry that echoed. "Mommy!" he shouted.

When Cargill was gone, the group walked up to the mysterious figure with proud smiles on their faces like they had known him from before and they were glad for him showing up to add the last bit of fright in their adversary.

"Nice work, Gabriel," said Aerrow.

The figure smiled down at them and shifted back into his regular form to reveal that he was indeed Gabriel Belmont after transforming into his vampire form. Gabriel was human again and faced the group of children he had come to respect like they were in every way his equal.

"It was my pleasure," said the man. "I am glad to be of service after what you did to save our world."

"Well," said Aang, "I think it's safe to say that Russ Cargill won't try destroying Black Manor anymore."

"Yeah," said Danny. "I'll bet he's gonna remember this for a long time."

"So, what should we do for the rest of Halloween?" said Raimundo.

BlueTiger321 breathed out while wiping his forehead. "You know what?" he said. "After all the crazy things we've been through tonight, I say we just go back to our place and relax." To show they agreed with their cohort, the other ghosts all nodded.

The others paused for a while to contemplate the suggestion and realized that it was the smartest thing that anyone had ever said all day, so they all smiled in response.

"Sure thing," said Aerrow.

"You don't have to tell me twice," said June.

"I think this is just what we need after a long night," said Piper.

Everyone walked back up to the mansion while thinking about the good deeds they had done: saving Toon City from Maleficent, and saving Black Manor from Cargill. It made them all glad to know that they were always there when they were really needed and that they had the support of each other.

"Hey," said Stork. "Does this mean I have to smile again?"

"No!" everyone shouted in unison.

"Good," said the Merb and continued walking with his friends to enjoy Halloween.

**THE END**

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><p>BlueTiger321: Well, that's the end of my Halloween story!<p>

Aerrow: I gotta say: it was pretty awesome!

Piper: Definitely.

Finn: Oh yeah! It was scary and funny at the same time!

Junko: Too bad that it's over.

Stork: Oh, uh, yeah, too bad.

Danny and June: Aw man!

Aang: Well, at least we got to make some new friends.

Raimundo and Speedy: All right!

Sokka: So what's gonna happen?

Katara: I'm sure the author's about to say it.

Toph: So just shut up and let him speak.

Zuko: Seriously.

BlueTiger321: Well folks, thank you for reading my story and especially thanks to those of you who left comments and suggestions, and I hope you all have a Happy Halloween. And please be sure to stay tuned for my future stories. So, until next time…

Gabriel: Read and review!


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